


Connie Swap Episode 16: Loud and Clear

by br42, BurdenKing, CoreyWW, MjStudioArts



Series: Connie Swap [16]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon), Steven Universe - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Anxiety, Art, Drama, F/M, Friendship, Gen, Heavy Themes, Momswap, Pictures, Platonic Romance, Romance, Slice of Life, Steven Universe AU, Storytelling, Vignette
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-25
Updated: 2017-12-22
Packaged: 2019-01-22 23:56:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 47,342
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12493772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/br42/pseuds/br42, https://archiveofourown.org/users/BurdenKing/pseuds/BurdenKing, https://archiveofourown.org/users/CoreyWW/pseuds/CoreyWW, https://archiveofourown.org/users/MjStudioArts/pseuds/MjStudioArts
Summary: Steven is back from a three-week family vacation to find Connie in a funk. The pair head up to Lighthouse Park for a picnic where Steven intends to find out what he missed and help his forlorn friend.





	1. Panic and Picnic

“Uggghhh, my life is over,” Steven said as he slumped in the back of the van.

His mother looked at him from the passenger's seat.

“Sweetie, I think you might be overreacting,” Mom said.

“No, I’m not,” Steven replied. “I can’t believe I forgot my phone.”

Dad peeked back from the wheel to look at Steven.

“Don’t worry, Shtu-ball, it’s okay. Everyone makes mistakes like--”

 _“Honey, the road!”_ Mom urged.

Dad twisted around and placed his hands on the wheel, the van jerking for a moment. After an awkward silence, Dad said, “See what I mean? Like that.”

Steven folded his arms.

“Connie might have been trying to call me this whole time,” Steven retorted with a frown. “What if she was sad and needed to talk? What if she was facing a tough choice and she needed me as her Light Side coach?!”

“Connie's a capable girl with a good head on her shoulders," Mom said, twisting around so that he could read her lips as she spoke. "Regardless, you'll be able to call her the moment we get home."

“... Okay,” Steven conceded, his sour mood persisting. He’d been a little anxious over most of the trip over it. They’d had fun in Capital City, sure, but he kept reaching to text something to Connie or see if she'd sent him something and the absence was chafing. He drummed his fingers on the seat in a concerned staccato.

* * *

There was a beat of silence from the front seat.

"Man, things were simpler when _I_ was fifteen," whispered Greg. If they faced forward and kept their voices down, the parents could have a private conversation despite their son being in the backseat. "I was mainly just focused on playing my guitar."

"Dear, that's pretty much true of you today."

"Which I take as a sign of a well-managed life," he said grinning. 

A moment passed and then he asked, “Do you really think things are okay? From what Shtu-ball says, a lot can happen in three weeks for that family.”

There was never any need to clarify when one of them said, ‘that family.’

Mary sighed. “Right before we left, Connie and one of her guardians had a screaming argument while defending the town from bee monsters. And the main thing I was thinking about, other than stabbing bee monsters, was how that was pretty much the conversation I should have had with some of my family but never did. I ran away because I felt like I couldn't talk with them."

Greg reached over and gave Mary's leg a squeeze. "Hey, the ‘running away’ thing worked out pretty well in the end."

Mary shot her husband a smile. It was genuine but her eyes remained a little sad. "It certainly did. But there's nothing that said I could only have my old family or my new family, not both." 

She gave his hand an answering squeeze and then returned it to his lap. "Old regrets, dear. My point was, with that family, all that I know is that I'm pretty clueless. We'll just have to keep our eyes open and listen to what Doug, Connie, and Steven have to say. Speaking of..." and she gestured with her eyes towards the back seat.

* * *

Dad glanced up in the rearview mirror. “Hey, look on the bright side," he said, projecting his voice to be sure Steven heard it, "When you do talk to her, you two will have tons of stuff to talk about.”

 _Yeah, like how I'm a crummy Destiny Partner,_ Steven thought darkly. He shook his head. Maybe mom was right and he was overreacting, but he didn’t feel like talking about it right now. He pulled his hearing aids from his ears and laid them next to his seat. In his peripheral vision he saw his dad nod in response.

A little later he looked up and could see Mom and Dad’s lips moving as they had a conversation of their own. He didn’t bother trying to read their lips. After a little while he saw Mom twist a knob on the radio.

They had to keep the radio turned off a lot of times when they rode together so Steven could hear better. He sighed. At least his funk made it so Mom and Dad could enjoy the music they wanted to listen to.

Steven looked out the window, fidgeting with his hair and willing the landscape to pass faster.

* * *

Steven rushed up to his room as soon as they got home. His phone was dead, so he had to plug it into the charger before it could even power on. He sat on his bed with the device in his lap, waiting impatiently for it to come to life. His mood had mellowed after a brief nap in the back of the van. His mom was probably right, after all. Connie had a lot going on. She probably hadn’t tried to contact him much during his trip.

After a few minutes, there was a ping and his screen lit up. Steven looked on his phone’s notifications.

There were thirty-five missed calls and over a hundred text messages.

Steven felt cold sweat appear on his forehead as his heart began to pound.

 _Oh my god, I’m going to die!_ Steven thought.

Without another moment’s hesitation, Steven jammed the icon on his phone with Connie's picture. She picked up after two rings.

“Steven, I--”

Steven blurted out, “CONNIEI’MSOSORRYILEFTMYPHONEATHOMEANDIJUSTCHECKEDANDI’MREALLYREALLYSORRY--”

“Steven.” Connie’s voice was measured. At the very least she didn’t seem mad, just ... muted. “It’s okay.”

“O-okay.”

There was a long pause. Steven felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. Had Connie been in the room with him he'd be worried it was her static power acting up. This wasn't much better.

“Isss everything okay?” he asked carefully.

“Yeah,” Connie said, almost in a whisper. “You feel like going on a picnic? There’s just ... a lot of stuff that’s happened while you were away. We could go to that hill near the temple, if you want?”

“Um ... alright, sure. I'll bring the food,” he offered, paused, and then asked, “You’re not hurt or anything, are you? You’re okay, right?”

There was a pause.

“I’m fine,” Connie said.

Steven’s heart was in his throat. Steven had seen enough minor spats between his mom and dad to know saying ‘I’m fine’ NEVER meant a person was fine.

“G-good,” Steven stammered. “I’ll see you soon.”

Connie ended the call without answering back.

He ran out his room, down the stairs, to the front door and then froze with his hand on the knob. "Picnic!" he exclaimed.

A whirlwind with curly brown hair swept through the kitchen and pantry, shoving anything and everything that looked remotely edible into a bulging basket. 

He all but kicked open the door in his haste to depart. As he ran over to his bike, he scrolled through his phone, trying to get some sense of what Connie was going through.

He stopped scrolling at a text that read:

_* CoMa - 09:07pm | I met another gem! Call me!_

Frantically, he scrolled ahead to another day and saw:

_* CoMa - 10:23pm | ...mom's room. It wasn't what I expected. Call me._

A few days later was one that read:

_* CoMa - 07:13pm | ...pick me up for the 'family' dinner. I REALLY don't feel like eating. Wish me luck._

Jumping to the end he saw:

_* CoMa - 03:05pm | ...never wearing them again. I don't know who I can trust anymore. Come home soon._

Steven went pale. He wanted to read it all to figure out just what _THAT_ meant, but there was no time. He peddled down the street as quickly as he could while keeping the basket balanced, all while trying to comprehend just what in the world HAPPENED while he was gone.

* * *

Connie was staring into the distance as Steven trudged up the hill toward the lighthouse.

The first thing Steven noticed was that Connie didn’t have her glasses on, nor did he see them hanging off her collar. That was odd. Except when she was doing something that'd get them dirty or cracked, she'd always had them handy.

She was sitting on a big white blanket with the corners weighed down by rocks. As he approached, Connie only glanced his way, then resumed staring off at the horizon.

That was also weird, and not the fun kind of weird that usually came with visiting Connie.

Steven put on an uneasy smile, set down the overflowing basket, and sat on the blanket. He noticed the necklace miss Peridot had made Connie was changing colors pretty quickly.

 _Oh dear,_ he thought. _That’s not good. Better think of something good to say, Steven._

“Um ...” Steven reached for the picnic basket, pulling a pair of juice boxes out and offering one to Connie. "Thirsty? Dad says the nice thing about talking over food is you can use the meal as a distraction for when you don't know what to say."

The corner of Connie's mouth turned down in a frown for a moment before she gave a small sigh and moved to face Steven. Her expression became a mix of weary and relieved as she took the juice box and began to fiddle with the straw. "Yeah. How'd you know I wasn't sure what to say?"

Steven's emotions were like a roller coaster, plunging and rising in time to Connie's expression. If all of his attention had been trained on his friend, he'd probably have felt kind of queasy.

He flashed a modest smile and said, "Oh, I was talking about myself. It's silly but I've been thinking nonstop about talking with you but then I got here and I was like, '... Juice box?'"

Connie chuckled and took a sip of her drink, his inner roller coaster soaring higher at the sound of her laugh.

"I tried to skim a couple of your texts while I was on my way here but then I nearly bonked into Kiki while she was out running pizzas to people and then there was that pothole over near Vidalia's and I think one of the pears in the basket got a little smushed but I can eat that one, oh, and I didn't really get to read many of them so-"

He trailed off when Connie set down her juice box with a smile and signed him into silence.

"It's okay Steven. I'm... I'm just glad you're back. It's been a rough couple of weeks. If it weren't for my power sink I'd probably have a storm cloud over my head," she said, her expression falling, his inner roller coaster making a plunge in tandem.

Steven reached out and took her hand, earning him a weak smile. The tingly, fluttery feeling was probably her electricity power. _Right?_ “Did something bad happen?” Steven asked. “Is um ... is that why you’re not wearing your glasses?”

Connie's expression hardened in an instant. Steven flinched and the ride inside him entered free fall.

“No,” she said sharply. She glanced down before adding, “Okay, yes, maybe a little.”

Connie sighed. She reached in her pocket and pulled out her glasses ... or rather what was left of them. The frames were twisted and both lenses were shattered.

Steven’s mouth was agape.

“Oh my gosh! What happened?” Steven leaned in closer to Connie. “Did you get hit in the face by a gem monster or--”

Connie gently pushed Steven back, her cheeks flushing red.

“No,” she said, shaking her head.

“Did you sit on them or something?” Steven asked. “I can imagine how awful that is. My hearing aids are kind of uncomfortable to wear too long so I take them out but I've lost them and it can get a little scary but--"

 _“I can see just fine, Steven,”_ Connie insisted. She then looked at the sea and grumbled, "Just one more crappy thing about this..."

Connie trailed off and then pinched the bridge of her nose. Steven was feeling somehow cold and sweaty at the same time.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you. I, uh, I guess I should just tell you what's been happening. I don't know where to begin, though."

"Um ...” Steven started. “Maybe you should start at the beginning?”

Connie snorted.

“Well … it’s gonna be a long story then. Would you mind making us a couple of plates of food while I get started?"

Steven nodded and began to rummage through the basket.

Connie cleared her throat and gave Steven's arm a squeeze. He looked up, his insides going through a little Loop-the-Loop, to see her giving him another of those smiles that was both weary but relieved at the same time. "Thanks again for being here for me."

Steven looked down, flushed, the weave of the basket suddenly very interesting. He mumbled something but a second later had no idea what.

Connie removed her hand. He saw in his peripheral vision that she turned to look out toward the horizon once more. "It started a week after you and your family left on vacation. I was up in my loft reading my-" She cleared her throat and started over. "I was reading the Pearlbook and..."


	2. Fur and Fleas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Note:** Heavy Themes present
> 
> * * *
> 
> After you finish reading this chapter, there is a related omake story you might want to check out:  
> [The Lost Episode - BR42 Edition](http://archiveofourown.org/works/10673391/chapters/28268220) by [br42](http://archiveofourown.org/users/br42/pseuds/br42) \- "After the disastrous New Year's party at the Universe's house, Lapis was gone for more than three months. This is a story of what she was doing for those 99 days." **This fic is mostly canon.**

> _The vizier's fate eluded the companion. Since joining the hero, there has been much learned but there is even more that remains unknown._
> 
> _The world changed considerably while the companion was trapped in the vizier's chamber. The geas makes it difficult to-_

Connie had the gem book open across her lap, one pillow in position to protect her leg from the jagged crack nearly splitting the large pearl that was inlaid in its cover. Suddenly the page she'd been reading went completely blank and was then replaced with new text.

> _-it was that the third division was forced to retreat, though Homeworld's aerial superiority prevented Rebellion forces from capitalizing on the rout._

Connie shifted uneasily where she was sitting cross-legged on her bed in the Beach House loft, her head cocked to the side, her mouth curling down at the corners as she stared in confusion at her book. She was so preoccupied with this strange behavior that she gave a startled yelp when Lapis hovered into view.

"Hi Con-con! Whatcha doin'?" asked the Blue gem as she landed heavily on the bed beside the girl.

"Studying history... apparently," she drawled, flipping back a few pages to find paragraph after paragraph of maneuvers and skirmishes from several thousand years ago.

Lapis leaned forward, skimming the text. "Pfft, boring!" she announced. "I wasn't even on Earth yet. You can tell from the part where it said Homeworld had air superiority."

"You scared them out of the sky?" asked Connie, a grin crossing her face as she set Lapis up for one of her favorite subjects.

"Oh, I sent 'em crying for their mommies."

"Lapis, gems don't even have mommies."

"That's how awesome I was!" declared Lapis, bouncing with excitement in her seat.

Connie laughed but as the mirth subsided her lips drew into a line. Things had been better lately. Lapis was even willing to talk about subjects that had previously been off-limits. She'd even elaborated on what she'd been up to during her long absence following New Years, though Connie wasn't sure how much had been embellished: the bit with the pirate skeleton had been a bit much.

She took the moment to stretch while she thought; her back was getting better but it was still a little achy and sitting hunched over her book did nothing to improve matters.

Connie looked over at Lapis then gave a small nod to herself. "The thing is, I wasn't reading about the Rebellion until a second ago. I was reading the book's story, the one I've been reading for months now. The, uh, the one I was reading when I summoned my sword."

Lapis' eyebrows jumped up, her mouth making an 'o' at the mention of the weapon Connie had summoned, once and only once, almost eight months ago.

Clearing her throat, Connie said, "Book, can you show me the story again?"

Lapis and Connie looked expectantly at the page.

> _Are you sure?_

Connie looked at the book, momentarily perplexed. It'd never asked for confirmation before. Then she noticed Lapis' presence beside her in the bed and drew in a sudden breath through her nose as realization struck.

"Book, it's, uh, it's okay. Lapis is my friend. I'd like to share your story with her... if that's okay?"

Lapis made a little snort but otherwise stayed silent. After a long moment the page went blank and then showed its previous text.

"Oh, cool," enthused Lapis. "That old thing is more functional than I would've figured given the state of that crack." Leaning forward Lapis said, "Hey Pearly, can you hear me?"

There was another pause followed by a terse _'Yes'_ on the next free line.

"Where'd you learn this story from?" asked the gem.

> _The tale of the companion is fictional, generated in response to the hero's request for 'a story.'_

Connie blinked in surprise but when she looked back down the text read:

> _The tale of the companion is fictional, generated in response to the operator’s request for 'a story.'_

Lapis grinned. "Hey Pearly~ Show Connie something cool about me from the Rebellion~" she ordered in a singsong voice.

Nothing happened.

"Yoohoo~ Are you listening?~" she asked in lilting manner.

Nothing happened.

"Um, Book, are you still listening?" inquired Connie, a corner of her mind finding something very odd about this whole situation.

> _Yes._

"Replay the last two orders," stated Lapis. Turning to Connie she added, "This one's got a Pearl in it so it probably wasn't that bright before it got cracked. And embedded. _Aaand_ corrupted,” she enumerated, counting off the points on blue fingers.

> _The last two orders were:_  
>  _Um, Book, are you still listening?' by operator Connie Maheswaran._  
>  _'Hey Pearly, can you hear me?' by 'friend' Lapis Lazuli._

"Weird," remarked Lapis. "Must be the crack. Still, this thing is surprisingly responsive given-" She was silenced when the temple door opened.

Jasper strode out carrying a contraption that looked like a cross between an old cathode ray tube television and a Tesla coil. It was making a repeating _whoop whoop_ noise.

Peridot had constructed the alert system, the words 'Gallon Interface' stenciled on the side, for Jasper because the warrior had been unable to respond to proximity alerts while Peridot had been poofed. This wasn't the first time the system had gone off, but it was the first time Jasper had done more than march straight to the warp pad.

"A sensor structure has” _whoop whoop_ “gone offline in the” _whoop whoop_ “Great North. The Quartz Pack” _whoop whoop_ “might be in the” _whoop whoop_ “area so we're all-” _whoop whoop_

Peridot exited the temple as well, an alert in red flashing on her glasses in time with the klaxon from Jasper’s warning system. She tapped her gravity connector impatiently.

The large gem stooped to bop the Gallon Interface, silencing it. "We're all going. Get ready."

“Though Connie, be sure to dress warmly,” said Peridot, seizing the reigns of the conversation. “Temperatures can still be low and the weather, unpredictable in the Great North in mid-May. Furthermore, restoring and repairing a sensor structure can be a lengthy task, even without the risk of hostile interference, so please pack accordingly, dear.”

Connie closed the tome in her lap. “Then would it be okay if I brought a book to read?”

* * *

Connie sat in a sunny spot surrounded by flowers and green buds, the taiga around her was verdant following the spring snowmelt. It was overcast and a little windy, which made the chill more pronounced, but it was certainly mild in comparison to her last visit to the area. Plus, the magical book open in her lap turned out to be a pretty good insulator, keeping her legs toasty like they were under a blanket.

Lapis and Peridot bickered (mostly) good-naturedly while they restored the large sensor structure to its proper, upright position. This wasn't the first time a sensor structure had inexplicably fallen over and rolled uphill, so they were making steady progress.

Jasper was patrolling the area, her usual vigilance heightened due to the risk of a run-in with the mob of corrupted Quartzes known as the Quartz Pack.

A water fist formed from a nearby stream leveraged the antenna-topped pyramid structure up into position. Peridot ran around hurriedly welding braces into position. "It's time to see if the structure is capable of standing unassisted," yelled Peridot. "Remove your support and then get clear."

"I dunno, P, it's pretty cold out. I hear that makes it difficult for-"

"Lapis, for numerous reasons, please do not finish that statement."

Their antics were just interesting enough to be distracting. Rather than risk committing the cardinal sin of skimming a good story, Connie said goodbye to her book --talking to it like a person just felt right despite the others' assurances that it wasn't capable of independent thought-- stowed it in her backpack, and got to her feet.

A few snowflakes began to fall.

The structure swayed slightly in the wind but otherwise stood erect. Lapis, smirking, whispered something to Peridot which prompted the latter to bury her face in her palm-equivalent.

Cupping her hands around her mouth, Connie shouted, "How's the repair work going, ma'am?"

The snow began to fall more heavily.

This roused Peridot, who called up a number of holographic displays to study. A moment later she called back, "Structural integrity is good but I believe the sensory mechanisms are compromised because the readings I'm getting are-"

Peridot fell silent as a roar was carried on the wind. It sounded faintly leonine but what struck Connie was how much raw emotion was packed into the noise. Loss, confusion, and anger, all condensed into audible form.

The snowfall was thick and visibility was starting to fall. A few feet from Connie there was a 'whump' as a stone the size of her fist landed heavily in the accumulating white.

Connie barely had time to register the sound of Jasper's footfalls when she was suddenly scooped up into a protective hold by the Quartz. The landscape began to speed past in a shaky blur, Jasper not slowing down as she sprinted toward the others. "Run!" she barked.

There were more 'whumps' as rocks of various sizes fell amidst the growing blizzard. Peridot and Lapis obeyed at once, the latter asking, "Is it the Quartz Pack?"

“This isn’t something they can do, whatever it-,” Jasper's sentence ended in a grunt as a rock the size of a basketball bounced off her shoulder. The warrior kept her balance and sped towards the forest.

Visibility had fallen to almost nothing, the snow falling thick.

"Jjjaaasperrr," stammered Connie, the girl being rattled by the warrior's uneven sprint, "I cannn suuummmmonnn sh-sh-shelterrr."

Something heavy landed nearby, followed by the crack of a tree snapping in half, the noise loud despite the snow smothering sounds.

"Oooh, uhhh, nnneverrrmmminddd."

A few paces later and Connie felt a blow reverberate through Jasper just as the world spun drunkenly around her. A second impact landed and suddenly Connie was flung forward.

Apparently there was a hill because Connie was falling down it in an uncontrolled tumble, seeing only white, feeling only her backpack slam repeatedly against her as she rolled.

She splatted into the field she'd summoned like a bug into a windshield, the impact graceless but preferable to tumbling blindly over a landscape only partially softened by the snow. She quickly summoned a trio of additional fields to shelter her, going for quantity over quality since she was too dizzy to for precise work.

She laid there, cold and disoriented, while the world around her darkened. Snow was burying her yellow bunker, the only sound being the infrequent bangs of stone hammering her barriers.

Just as Connie had retrieved an LED lantern from her pack, she saw the blur of a passing boulder that crushed one of her outer fields. The field dissolved and Connie was sprayed with snow and debris. Sputtering and screaming, she summoned more fields. Between the cold, the fear, and the way six extant fields left her thoughts sluggish, Connie could only huddle numbly in her small pocket of frigid air. She sat there clutching the lantern to her chest.

 _I hope the others are doing better than I am,_ she thought with what little attention she could spare, adding, _Not that it’d be particularly hard._

In time Connie's thoughts grew foggy, her breaths grew shallow, and she slumped against the back force field as unconsciousness claimed her.

* * *

Connie heard a scratching sound followed by a sensation of cold, clean air spilling over her. Only semi-conscious, she still sucked in grateful lungfuls.

“Whoa, t’es quoi, toi?” **[Whoa, what the heck are you?]**

There was a feeling of movement as something was dragging her through the snow.

 _When did Wolf learn to speak French?_ she thought blearily before once more drifting off.

* * *

“-j’en sais rien des iodine tablets, mais they taste pretty good.” **[-don't know what 'iodine tablets' are, but they taste pretty good.]**

Connie groaned as the world reasserted itself. Her right side felt like it was getting toasted while her left still felt comparatively cold. She stirred and found herself wrapped in something soft but restricting.

There was the sound of tearing paper. “Ce truc c’est the best for rouler dessus.” **[This stuff is the best for rolling around on.]**

_Paper? Tearing? Book? Book!"_

Connie managed to sit upright and she immediately regretted it, her head pounding and the world spinning around her.

“Oh, you didn’t die. C’est genial.” **[Oh, you didn't die. That's neat.]**

Blinking, Connie managed to force her stubborn eyes to focus despite the throbbing in her skull. She saw...

...a short purple gem, barefoot but wearing rough pants, a purple gemstone peeking out from the top of her a tunic. She had the long, white hair Connie associated with Jasper, although it obscured her left eye.

Looking down Connie saw that she was in a grungy sleeping bag, a fire burning merrily in a small fire pit to her right. She appeared to be in the back of a modest-sized cave. Strewn everywhere were heaps of _stuff._ A flint hatchet decorated with feathers was jutting out of a pile of old jackets in one corner; a stack of animal skulls and canteens shimmered in the fire light because of the cracked CDs that peeked through some of the gaps; a collection of hiking packs and frisbees was topped with a bike tire whose spokes were festooned with the magnetic tape pulled from a cassette labeled 'Mick's Tape;' an antique musket, complete with bayonet, was propped against a wall not too far from a rusty engine block and a bright red accordion in surprisingly good condition; a green canoe was leaning against another wall, the bottom lined with dried flowers and mushrooms that must have looked quite vibrant when they'd been fresh.

Laying partially gutted at the gem's feet was Connie's copy of _How To Survive The Punishment of Nature_ , several pages of which were lying in a pile of leaves and empty trail mix bags. Her backpack was lying open on its side when the gem wasn’t shaking it upside down. The wrappers of her long shelf life foodstuff were strewn about along with the water purification tablets she'd packed.

When the gem moved over toward Connie she stayed hunched, using her hands and feet to propel herself across the debris-strewn cave.

“Il fait un temps fou, hein? Just chill et ‘raar’ then neige et rochers everywhere.” **[Crazy weather, don't ya think? Just chill and than 'raaar' and then snow and rocks everywhere.]**

She laughed and added, "La meute went nuts.” **[The pack went nuts.]**

Connie could only blink as her mind tried to keep up with not only the strangeness but also the shifts between French and English.

The gem grinned while standing well inside Connie's personal bubble. “Je rentrais ici when I saw ce crazy truc jaune sticking out of la neige. I couldn’t pick it up et quand I tried to dig it out, je t’ai vu and it disappeared or something après. C’est un nouveau human thing? I want it.” **[I was heading back here when I saw this crazy yellow thing sticking out of the snow. I couldn't pick it up and when I tried to dig it out I saw you and it disappeared or something after. Is that some new human thing? I want it.]**

Connie started to talk but her voice came out as a rasp. Moving hurt and she was already feeling a little winded just sitting up. Licking her lips she managed to wheeze out, "Water. Um, Eau," she added in French just to be safe.

“Huh? Eh bien, you drink that stuff or you die et c’est nul.” **[Huh? Oh, right, you drink that stuff or you do that lame dying thing.]** She rummaged through the nearby pile of animal skulls and withdrew an ancient canteen, the decoration on which featured a US flag short about a dozen stars. 

She shook it, a slosh confirming it was full. Then she leaned in even closer, as though she were divulging a trade secret, and said, “Tiens. I’ve been saving this one pour un temps; tastes better when you lit it sit.” **[Here ya go. I've been saving this one for a while; tastes better when you let it sit.]**

Connie recoiled then pointed at her backpack and repeated the request.

The gem looked over her shoulder then back at Connie, confused. She then gave a shrug and padded on her three free limbs over to the backpack, pausing to bite off the top quarter of the ancient canteen. She crunched appreciatively, swallowed, and called back, “Tu loupes une occasion,” **[You're missing out]** before tipping her head back and emptying the rust-brown water into her mouth.

* * *

After some water --actual, potable water-- and the last couple _Protes_ bars to survive the gem's ransacking of her backpack, Connie's head was feeling less tectonically active.

Gingerly she removed some of her layers of clothes, both in response to the cave’s warmth and to let them dry out a little.

Once she finally felt marginally recovered, she cleared her throat. "Thank you for saving me. I'm pretty sure I would have froze or suffocated back there if you hadn't dug me out."

The gem waved off her gratitude casually while occupying herself by lining her leaf and wrapper pile with more paper. She then found the animal track identifier keychain Connie habitually packed. This prompted her to shapeshift into the animals whose tracks were visible on it. The purple moose with cartoonishly large and expressive eyes prompted a laugh from Connie, though her battered body made her cut it short.

The gem laughed as she reverted to her normal form. “T’es pas mal for a human. Most of you see that sort of thing et vous flippez. Marrant but makes it hard to talk afterwards.” **[You're alright for a human. Most of you see that sort of thing and flip out. Funny but makes it hard to talk afterwards.]**

"Oh, well, I'm not really a human. Or, well, I'm part gem too," answered Connie, now sitting cross-legged on the sleeping bag. She pulled the neck of her shirt down to reveal the yellow gemstone.

“Quoooiii? Did you eat that?! C’est chaud ça. I tried it once and c’était raté for anyone.” **[Whaaat? Did you eat that?! Because that's intense. I tried it once and it did _not_ work out for anyone.]**

The gem transformed into an owl and literally flew to Connie's side, shifting back so she could paw at the yellow stone.

Connie tried to fend the gem off, finally managing to get a little personal space for herself after several moments of tussling with the enthusiastic, though intrusive, gem.

"W-What's your name? I didn't know there were other gems on the planet!" she said.

“Moi, c’est Amethyst, duh,” **[I'm Amethyst, duh]** she said gesturing at the purple gemstone. 

“Y’a beaucoup de gems out there. My pack has two hundred and sixty et on a vu lots of others over the seasons. Pas de Citrines though. Je t’inviterais but these gals sont des dures and I think your human parts would break.” **[And there's tons of gems out there. My pack has two hundred and sixty and we've seen lots of others over the seasons. No Citrines though. I'd offer for ya to join but these gals play pretty rough and I think your human parts would break.]**

Before Connie could say anything, Amethyst shifted into a massive, four-legged form. Connie had once seen the gems fight a corrupted Quartz: it had looked one part bear, one part dog, and everything like Amethyst's form save for her large, intelligent eyes (one covered by a drooping tuft of hair).

Connie's eyes went wide. Thoughts like, _She's part of the Quartz Pack?!_ , There's more than two hundred of them?!, and _Join?!_ shot through Connie's mind but what she blurted out was, "You know about Citrines?!"

“Je regarde ta pierre précieuse and I know it means 'Citrine,'" **[I look at your gemstone and I know it means 'Citrine,']** said the faux-corrupted gem with Amethyst's voice.

“Isn’t it étrange quand vous just know stuff, Citrine?” **[Isn't it weird when you just know stuff, Citrine?]**

Connie's hand went to her gemstone and despite being stared down by a big-eyed purple monstrosity in a cave of collected cast-offs, being called 'Citrine' was what sent Connie for a loop.

“It’s, uh, my name is Connie, actually.”

Amethyst reverted to her normal form. “Whatever, Citrine.”

_Boy, what would the others think if they heard-_

"Ah! How long has it been? I need to make sure the others are okay! They're probably worried sick!"

Connie staggered to her feet, but had to lean against the cave wall, her hand inches from a stack of 1952 farmer's almanacs.

“Oh, y’a pas des humans around. I try and scare ‘em all before la meute se montre. La plupart des filles sont chill but there’s always someone spoiling for a fight ou qui veut jouer, and you have to admit that les humains sont des drôles de créatures when they’re scared.” **[Oh, there's no other humans around. I try and scare 'em all off before the pack shows up. Most of the gals are chill but there's always someone spoiling for a fight or a game, and you have to admit that humans are pretty hilarious when they're scared.]**

"No, I came here with Jasper, Lapis, and Peridot. We were on a mission when the weather went crazy."

“Attends, you came here with les Cons? Calice, que you need better friends,” **[Wait, you came here with the Jerks? Oh man, you really need better friends,]** she said before shapeshifting into a purple labrador so she could use her hind leg to scratch her neck like a dog trying to rid itself of fleas.

* * *

"-this is why we have subdermal tracking chips! I will never listen to Doug about anything ever again!" roared Peridot as she scanned with one limb while using the tractor beam of the other to hurl a small boulder aside and peer underneath.

A massive drift of snow was rolled up like a carpet as Lapis flew past, surveying the area from the air the whole time. "Look, I'm worried too, P-dot, but girlie's tough, y'know? If we don't find her, she'll find us and then she'll say-"

“Mommy! Tu m’as manqué!” **[Mommy! I've missed you!]**

Connie leapt out from behind a smashed evergreen and ran headlong at Peridot, pulling the gem into a bear hug and lifting her completely off the ground. Her skin, hair, and clothing were all shades of purple.

Peridot stammered like a motor unable to turn over, her expression one where profound relief and profound confusion were warring with each other for dominance. Freeing herself from the embrace, she took one long look at the girl in front of her and yelped, _"That's not my baby!"_

'Connie' grabbed Peridot's face, pulled her in, and gave her an exaggerated kiss ending with a loud, 'Mmmmwa!’ She then reverted into her base form and laughed uproariously...

...for the two seconds it took for Lapis to soar down and punt the purple figure with her mallet like polo player on pegasus-back.

"Where is my Connie?!" // "Hands off!" shouted Peridot and Lapis over one another.

The purple gem soared through the air in a parabolic arc until she shifted into a canadian goose and flew back, honking at them irritably and yelling, "Hey, you can’t take a joke, les cons?!” **[Hey, can't you jerks take a joke?!]**

Jasper sprinted over from the swath of forest she'd been combing, just as Connie-- the non-purple Connie-- came running up panting.

"Guys!... I'm... okay... Don't... fight... Amethyst! She... she saved... me from... the... storm..."

Connie looked like she was about to say more but she was pulled into a tight hug by Peridot.

Amethyst landed a little ways back, once more reverting to her base form. Lapis returned the water from her hammer to her canteen, then folded the weapon up and clipped it to a loop on her shorts. Jasper gave the Purple gem an appraising look but said nothing. She and Lapis shared a glance, the latter giving a confused shrug.

The moment the hug broke, Peridot stepped back to scan the girl, ignoring the remarks of the others. The limb eventually dinged and Peridot gave a curt nod then turned to face Amethyst.

“My scan confirms that Connie is recovering well from the effects of near-hypothermia and asphyxiation. I’m to believe you were responsible for her rescue and recuperation?”

Amethyst scratched the back of her neck. “Je n’en sais rien moi, but she was really cold and out of breath when I found her, so I got her back to ma cave chaude.” **[I don’t know about any of that, but she was really cold and out of breath when I found her, so I got her warm back at my cave.]**

“I see…” drawled the technician. “Well, I offer you my deepest and most sincere thanks for the incomparable service you have rendered for our dear Connie,” and she extended a hand-equivalent out toward Amethyst to shake.

“Whoa! Ce truc-là is fancy handy. Are those petites green things tasty? I’m gonna eat one!” **[Whoa! That’s some fancy handy thing you’ve got there. Are those little green things tasty? I’m gonna eat one!]**

Peridot whipped the limb back with blinding speed, cradling the hand-equivalent in her arm like she would a newborn. _“Those are not for consumption!_ ” She took a breath and then more calmly added, “They are, on this planet, literally irreplaceable. I’ll offer you some other consumables in recompense,” she offered.

Amethyst shifted into a purple Peridot though with ten long fingers extending out instead of floating. She adjusted her glasses and said, “Ce serait très acceptable.” **[That would be most acceptable.]**

Purpledot turned to Connie and jabbed a long thumb-equivalent towards her green counterpart, adding, “Combien de dictionnaires does this one eat?” **[Man, how many dictionaries does this one eat?]**

“Where were you during the war, runt?” asked Jasper, interrupting the exchange.

“Comme t’es grand, toit!” **[You are a tall one!]** Amethyst laughed again and shapeshifted into a large, purple Jasper. 

She pitched her voice down and spoke more gravelly, saying, “I’ve never heard of any war, but if you want to scrap sometime, je louperais pas l’occasion.” **[I never heard of any war, but if you want to scrap sometime, I’d be down for it.]**

“Guys!” interrupted Connie, “I think we’re overlooking the single biggest deal here. Amethyst is another GEM! She’s not a monster! She’s not a pile of limbs! She’s a person! Isn’t this, like, really huge?”

“Yeah,” added Lapis, “we’ve been at this a long time and we’ve never noticed you before. What’s up with that?”

Amethyst turned into a violet-shaded Lapis and said, “Enfin, someone who doesn’t wear shoes! C’est les pires, mais the string parts are fun quand c’est entre les dents. Anyway, pour la plupart I look like the others dans la meute and most of the rest of the time je joue à cache-cache somewhere.” **[Oh, finally someone who doesn’t wear shoes! Those things are the worst, though the string parts are fun when they get caught in your teeth. Anyway, most of the time I look like the others in my pack and most of the rest of the time I’m hiding somewhere.]**

Her tone became accusatory as a Lapis who sounded nothing like Lapis wagged her finger at the group, “Bien sûr, I recognize you all. Vous êtes les cons who make a pass on la meute every couple of seasons. C’était fun the first couple of times, kinda mix things up, mais vous restez pas pour un vrai baston et ça aggrave les choses sometimes, ya know ? Le groupe se calme, the girls are having one of their good days, et puis vous arrivez nous taper dessus with smashy water and shooty things. Et la nana transparente c’est la pire because la meute gets angry at her and the rest get angry at the others and ça prend des semaines to settle back down!” **[Of course, I recognize you all. You’re the jerks who make a pass on the pack every couple of seasons. It was fun the first couple of times, kinda mix things up, but you never stay for a proper scrap and sometimes it makes things worse, ya know? The group is settling down, most of the gals are having one of their good days, and then you all show up and start beating us with smashy water and shooty things. And the see-through chick is the worst because most of the pack gets angry at her and the rest get angry at the others and it takes them weeks to settle back down!]**

“Where the heck is she, anyway?” Amethyst asked, looking around and shapeshifting into…

...Citrine. Purple, but it was her. Connie’s breath caught in her throat. She saw out of the corner of her eye that Jasper rocked as well, taking a step back and clenching her fists.

Everyone stood there staring at the purple ghost, who in turn blinked and looked at the others quizzically.

Lapis was the first to regain her composure, though she had to blink back a dozen different expressions and a little moisture at the corners of her eyes. “Sorry, but the castle you’re looking for is in another princess,” she drawled while motioning to Connie.

Amethyst reverted back to her normal form. “Quoi?” **[Say what?]**

* * *

It was late. Peridot had ushered Connie home, allowed her to restock her pack, eat a proper meal, and then return with an assortment of snacks and ‘ _snacks_ ’ for Amethyst’s enjoyment. 

Upon their return they found Lapis was giving an editorialized version of the last five thousand years of Earth’s history. A swath of the landscape was torn up and Jasper and Amethyst exuded contentment. 

When asked about the destruction, Jasper said simply, “Sparring.”

The history recap was put on hold while Lapis walked Amethyst through the finer points on junk food. Amethyst’s insistence on eating most of the wrappers proved a line too far for the blue glutton.

Amethyst’s favorites were what Lapis designated the ‘finger food’: a collection of green Nerf darts that Connie had rummaged up as a substitute for Peridot’s floating fingers. Amethyst and Connie sat together around a fire the gem had started by shapeshifting a bow drill out of one of her hands, the former roasting some of the darts while the latter roasted marshmallows.

Peridot, Jasper, and Lapis went into a huddle.

“T’avais raison, they’re not so bad after all,” **[You were right, they’re not so bad after all,]** said Amethyst after swallowing down a pair of blackened darts as well as most of the stick. 

A beat later she added, “Enfin, les cons. The green things are fantastique.” **[The jerks, I mean. The green things are fantastic.]**

“I’m glad,” answered Connie, feeling a mix of excitement and contentment that was every bit as warming as the fire. “It’s so cool getting to meet you. I’ve literally never met a new gem before and, well, it’s just really reassuring that we can be friends.”

The Purple gem waved her off. “Je comprends. Running with la meute is great! C’est la famille, mais elles sont différentes. Et les humains ? It’s like someone made something that looks awesome, but just exists to annoy me. All those weird rules about stuff and what you can do and how you can look? En plus, ils se brisent super facilement and even the good ones die after enough seasons pass. Alors, c’est ‘run with my sisters’ or ‘deal with these wierdos.’ Vous, les filles, are something else, though. Et vous avez les meilleurs snacks.” **[“Hey, I get it. Running with the pack is great! They’re my family, but they’re different. And humans? It’s like someone made something that looks awesome but just exists to annoy me. All those weird rules about stuff and what you can do and how you can look? Plus, they break super easy and even the good ones die after enough seasons pass. So it’s ‘run with my sisters’ or ‘deal with these weirdos.’ You gals are something else, though. Plus, you have the best snacks.]**

 _The French-thing aside, she can be a little like Steven when she talks,_ Connie thought while she nibbled on a warm and gooey marshmallow.

Amethyst jammed the rest of the stick in her mouth and playfully shoved Connie off the log they were sitting on.

_Okay, that’s where the Steven comparison ends, _Connie mentally added.__

Amethyst was about to say more when Peridot approached. “The others and I have spoken and we think you’re in a position to do us and your… pack a great deal of good. I know we started off with mutual antagonism and misinformation but I hope we’ve moved past that point.”

“Ouais, you are all fine with me. En plus, je sais que things are hard on la meute sometimes. They get confused or scared or so angry qu’elles peuvent pas se controller. But you all help gems like them, pas vrai?” **[Yeah, you all are fine with me. Besides, I know that things are hard on my pack sometimes. They get confused or scared or so angry and they just can’t help themselves. But you all help gems like them, right?]**

Peridot rocked enthusiastically on her gravity connectors. “Precisely! Finding the means to ease the suffering of corrupted gems like your, erm, packmates is a pivotal part of our agenda. Our previous attempts to help the Quartz Pack have been... clumsy. But with you, that need not be the case.”

Amethyst, who seemed to have no sense of personal space, stood and got within inches of Peridot, the former’s one visible eye looking directly into the latter’s. “You mean that? Tu peux les aider?” **[You mean that? You can help them?]**

In a soft voice, Peridot said, “Yes. With your help, we can and will. What we need is for you to lead them into the adjacent valley at noon. The whole pack. Can you do that?”

Off to the side, Connie winced. _That sounds super suspicious, ma’am. I don’t know anyone who’s naive enough to accept something like that at face value,_ she critiqued inwardly.

“C’est tout? Pfft, ouais, I can do that. I’m in tight with the alpha, she knows me, et où elle va, va la meute. I’ll have them in place when the bright thing is straight up.” **[That’s it? Pfft, yeah, I can do that. I’m in tight with the alpha. She knows me, and where she goes, the pack goes. I’ll have them in place when the bright thing is straight up.]**

“Sun.”

“Ouais, ça aussi. De toute façon, I should get back. Go scrap un peu to make sure everyone will be in a good mood. À plus!” **[Yeah, that too. Anyway, I should get back. Go scrap a little to make sure everything will be in a good mood. See you later!]**

With that she shifted into an owl and flapped silently into the night.

Connie stood there, wide-eyed and a little stunned. _I guess I_ do _know someone that naive. Whyyy don’t I feel better about this?_

Peridot watched her go, then turned back to the group. “We have a great deal to accomplish between now and noon. Connie, I’ll need you present in case there is another repeat of… whatever happened earlier today. With foreknowledge of what the weather shift means and your fields, we should be able to endure a repeat event in relative safety. Lapis, you’re on snow gathering duty. Jasper, clear out the site of cover and obstacles.”

"Wait, hang on. You're talking about setting up an ambush for the Quartz Pack," said Connie.

"Naturally," replied Peridot, her expression unperturbed.

"And Amethyst doesn't know that," Connie added.

"'Course not, Con-con. She wouldn't just walk 'em into the shooting gallery if she did," said Lapis, the corner of her eyes crinkling as she looked at Connie a little bemused.

Connie waited a moment for them to see the obvious. When no one spoke further, she spelled it out. "Amethyst is going to get awfully angry about that. I mean, she's been traveling with them for who knows how long. She calls them her family."

Jasper stepped in front of Connie and took a knee so she didn't completely tower over her. "A key part of Citrine's Rebellion was decisiveness. Seize the advantage and exploit it against a stronger foe. We lost a lot of ground and a lot of good gems before she was able to drive that lesson home."

Connie found it hard to hold Jasper's gaze but she forced herself to do so. "I-I understand that that was the way during the war but is that really needed here? Is this really what mom would do?"

Peridot cleared her throat, causing heads to turn her way. "Your mother was a very principled individual, but above all else, she was pragmatic. The Quartz Pack has been at large for millennia. You saw a fraction of the devastation they leave in their passage the last time you visited this region." 

Connie remembered miles of forest savaged, the ground carved up and entire trees uprooted.

Peridot took Connie's silence as her cue to continue. "They're a horde of mentally compromised individuals who do much worse than denuding evergreen forests. There are casualties. Comparatively few when you consider the actuarial statistics related to hiking or carbon-based animal attacks, but human casualties nonetheless," she elaborated, her expression grim.

Connie also remembered Amethyst casually talking about scaring off campers to try and protect them from the pack's rowdy behavior. Just how successful was Amethyst? She'd overlooked Connie and the gems? How much of the stuff in that cave was picked up --Connie's stomach churned-- _after_ the pack had broken their human toys?

Lapis pulled Connie into a hug, the Blue gem speaking while her chin was resting on Connie's shoulder. "Amethyst seems cool an' all, but she's not going to understand it even if we did explain it to her. It's too personal. She'd just... lash out and run off."

Connie stepped back from the hug and surveyed the gems. “And… you’re sure this is the right thing to do?” asked Connie. "We couldn't... I don't know, cordon off the area and try and talk Amethyst around first?"

Off to the side Jasper's deep voice cut through the moment of silence. "Remember, 'Amethysts know camaraderie.' She's not going to knowingly act against her squad. Plus, she's a runt so who knows how long it could take to get her to understand."

Peridot shook her head sadly but without hesitation. "I believe your mother would act thusly, were she here."

This did little to quiet the sense of wrongness that churned in Connie's gut, but it was enough for her to shove it aside. She nodded without speaking, then hugged each of the gems in turn.

* * *

Later that night, while the gems labored in sight of both Connie and one another, Connie snuggled up inside her sleeping bag and was preparing to rest. She’d read from her gem-embedded tome to help settle her thoughts and was preparing to pack it away for the night. It was closed in her lap as she ran her hand over the crack in the oblong pearl set therein.

“I’m sorry you’re not a cogent gem too, like Amethyst. You tell such amazing stories and now and then it feels like you’re telling them to… to me. It’s silly but sometimes I feel like we’re having a conversation, even if it isn’t a direct one.” 

She clutched the book to her chest. “You were there when I summoned my sword. I’ve never managed to summon it since, but something about you unlocked it in me. If that had never happened, well, I don’t think I’d be going on adventures like the hero in your story. Before I was going on missions, before dad was back in Beach City, before I knew Steven, you were there for me.” 

She spent a moment watching the light of the flames dance across the pearlescent surface of the cracked gemstone before speaking again. “Even if you aren’t someone now, you were someone once. I… I wish I could have known you.” In a softer voice she added, “I wish you could have known me.”

She packed the book away into her backpack, taking care to slide it into place gently. “We’re doing this thing tomorrow for the sake of making things better for a bunch of gems who are… well, they need the help. Maybe someday we’ll be able to help you too.”

She was about to close the flap of her pack when she hesitated and added, “I’d like that.”

The cracked stone must have caught the fire light just right because it gave an iridescent sparkle.

Connie paused then closed the flap.

* * *

It was a bright, clear day. Connie wasn’t sure if it was nerves or all the direct sunlight, but she felt warm despite the northern chill. She was stationed on one of the rises above the valley. Sitting cross-legged, she was trying to maintain her concentration on the quintet of fields she’d summoned a while earlier. All the others were in position.

Connie tried to distract herself by looking over the hills, mountains, and sweeping forest that she could see from her commanding view, her thoughts sluggish from the fields and her body jittery with anticipation. _That’s funny, all of the mountains over there are covered in snow except for that one. I wonder why that is?_

Then she heard the noises. Grunts, barks, howls, and the sound of scads of gem monsters filled the valley. A little later and a colorful mob loped into view that made Connie’s eyes bulge.

_I can see why the others haven’t been able to handle this. Each and every one of them is a monster that could smash me flat and there’s so many._

In the very front was a large beast of mottled browns, tans, and shades in between. Immediately beside and a little behind it was a smallish purple beast that was moving purposefully. Using her binoculars, Connie could make out two large, intelligent eyes, one of which was obscured behind a bit of unruly white hair, where all the other members of the Quartz Pack had none.

The noise grew cacophonous as, according to Amethyst, two hundred and sixty gem monsters, the smallest of which were the size of a mid-sized car, walked in a disorderly clump, into the center of the valley precisely as the sun reached its highest position overhead.

Connie closed her eyes and tried to block out the noises and distractions below. She allowed her thoughts to drift, and her mind settled on an old conversation she’d had with Steven.

> Steven said, “Wait? Manikota?! That’s where the Voleur Violet gets sighted! Did you fight it? Did it steal your food?! Was it lurking just out of the range of your camera’s zoom?”
> 
>  _Voleur Violet?_ , she thought as her mind shifted gears over to the French she’d learned at Peridot’s insistence. “The… ‘Purple Thief?’ I don’t know what that is, Steven,” she said a moment later.
> 
> The boy looked visibly excited at her response. “Oh! It’s this monster that lives in that area; has for decades. Maybe even longer! Here, hold on, let me pull it up on my phone.”
> 
> He grabbed the device from its spot on the floor next to Connie’s and worked steadily on it, his brow furrowed in concentration. “Ahah!” he cried triumphantly as he scooted close to Connie, showing her the screen.
> 
> Connie glanced at the image, then at the website’s name, recognizing it from Ronaldo’s occasional boardwalk proselytizing, then she skimmed the… exclamation point-riddled screed below.
> 
> She turned to see Steven staring at her, clearly waiting eagerly for her verdict. “Um, I can honestly say we did not encounter the, uh, ‘Scourge of the Hiking Picnicker,’ nor have I heard the gems mention anything like it before.”

_Wow, Steven was right. And Ronaldo too. Steven is going to flip about this when I’m-_

Her fields had winked out at some point during her recollection, which had caused the accumulated snow and rocks to rumble down into the mass of Quartzes below. With further assistance from Lapis --the gem found snow and ice difficult to work with compared to liquid water but she’d had all night to get her avalanches prepped-- the whole horde was completely buried with one long, loud rumbling sound of shifting snow and earth.

A few moments later the first of the Quartzes tunneled out of the snow. Before it had a chance to gain its bearings a giant watery fist had smashed it, poofing it outright. Lapis swooped down to bubble it.

As a group, the Quartz Pack had been too much for the Crystal Gems to overcome. Peridot, Lapis, Jasper, and Citrine would have needed to risk their lives poofing and bubbling a handful at a time before fleeing from the onslaught of the rest of the horde. Even poofing a few from a distance was pointless since the bulk would arrive to protect their members, making bubbling tantamount to suicide. Such risks simply weren’t acceptable and so the members of the Quartz Pack were one of the few easily located corrupted gems that still remained unbubbled.

Buried and forced to come up as individuals, however, the Quartz Pack could be defeated in detail, one or two members at a time. Plasma blasts and water fist strikes and crash helmet blows would rain down the moment one of the beasts made its way to the surface.

Part way into the mop-up a purple Quartz beast tunneled to the surface using forelimbs shaped like augers. The water fist that was already descending lost cohesion mid-swing and turned into a harmless downpour instead.

“Ç ava les gars? There was this sudden avalanche, maybe more from whatever the heck made the weather crazy yesterday, et puis-” **[Are you guys okay? There was this sudden avalanche, maybe more from whatever the heck made the weather crazy yesterday, and then-]** the faux-beast stopped mid-sentence as the large, mottled brown leader of the pack emerged nearby.

With more wit and tenacity than some of the others, the gem beast lunged to the side, escaping its hole and the plasma blast directed at it. Jasper spindashed over, colliding with the beast. With surprising agility it rolled to its feet and lunged at Jasper, but was staggered by a lightning blast from Peridot. The follow-up helmet smash from Jasper poofed it, the earth tone gemstone set in its chest landing gently in the churned up snow.

The purple Quartz reverted to her normal shape and summoned a long whip ending in three crystal-tipped points.

“Whoa! Calvaire de Sacristie! What is wrong with you gals?!” **[Whoa! WHAT THE HELL?! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU GALS?!]** roared Amethyst as she spindashed into Jasper. The large warrior was sent rolling backwards but she flipped upright and dug deep furrows through the snow as she slid to a stop.

“You said you were going to help them!” Amethyst shouted, cupping the gemstone in her free hand as her whip ensnared an airborne Lapis and pulled the gem into the ground with a spray of snow.

Connie ran over, her palms out, calling for calm.

“Citrine! Bien. Les autres sont folles or something. You gotta help me so we can-” **[Citrine! Good. The others are going nuts or something. You gotta help me so we can-]**

"Amethyst, please! We're going to help them get better, but we first have to contain them," implored Connie, the words flying out of her mouth with desperate speed.

Amethyst looked at Connie with a bewildered expression. "But... they said that ça allait être différent. In the past les cons would show up and harass the pack. The see-through lady would drive them crazy! And this is the same thing mais dix fois pire! Citrine, make this stop!" **[But... they said that this was going to be different. In the past those jerks would show up and harass the pack. The see-through lady would drive them crazy! And this is the same thing but ten times worse! Citrine, make this stop!]**

Connie inched slowly toward Amethyst, her arms up, afraid the poofed gem would reform at any moment. If it did, this last chance to explain things to Amethyst would be shattered, and someone could get hurt as well. 

"The way you're living is bad for you and bad for your pack. I know that's hard to hear but I promise you, it's true! Your family is never going to get better if they just wander around on their own. They're confused and afraid and angry, like you said. And you have been kept from other gems who _are_ like you. The Crystal Gems have been around for thousands of years and they only just discovered you! You don't have to be alone anymore," she said, holding her arms out in a gesture of assurance.

Amethyst stopped retreating but she looked back and forth between Connie and the gemstone in her hand with a pained expression.

Connie inched closer, only a couple of steps separating them. "This looks bad right now but it's going to be okay, Amethyst. I promise you, I'm going to make this right. For you and all of your pack. I-I swear it as a heroine."

One of Connie’s fingers lightly touched the gemstone and suddenly it was enveloped in a sunny bubble of transparent yellow. Connie gaped, her mouth hanging open.

Amethyst recoiled like she’d been stabbed. Tears streaming down her face, she bellowed, “Menteuse, Citrine, comme eux! I trusted you and – and you’re _taking my family from me?!_ I was alone for so long, _SO LONG_ in some stupid canyon et personne n'est venu pour moi! Quand je suis parti, je les ai trouvés and suddenly I could belong. They were happy, moi, j’étais heureuse, and now you’re _shoving them all in bubbles!_ I hate you! Je vous déteste tous!” **[You’re a liar, Citrine, just like them! I trusted you and- and you’re _taking my family from me?!_ I was alone for so long, _SO LONG_ in some stupid canyon and no one came for me! When I left I found them and suddenly I could belong. They were happy, I was happy, and now you’re _shoving them all in bubbles!_ I hate you! I hate you all!]**

Peridot landed nearby and started to say something but Amethyst swung an arm that shapeshifted four times its normal size, uppercutting the Green gem into a wide arc. Using the force of the blow to carrying her around, Amethyst swung her whip at Connie, or perhaps at the bubble she was carefully cupping in her hands.

The sorrow and terror on Connie’s face was quickly replaced with wide-eyed surprise. In a maneuver that was more reflex than anything, Connie turned her back on the attack and dove flat, cupping her body around the bubble protectively.

Instead of grabbing the bubble, the whip grabbed and ripped the backpack off of Connie. Amethyst transferred the pack into her free hand. Jasper lunged forward attempting to grapple the smaller Quartz, but Amethyst leapt back and then threw her whip into Jasper’s face. The warrior lowered her head, causing the weapon to tangle uselessly around her helmet before vanishing a moment later, but by that point, Amethyst had shifted into a bald eagle and was already flying away, the pack still held in her talons.

“No! Amethyst, come back!” cried Connie. _Too far for a force field. Too far for electricity. Maybe if I could summon my sword I could throw it at her, but I’m a failure who_ can’t summon a weapon. _She’s going and she’s not coming back. And…,_ thought Connie, a part of her mind recoiling from even finishing the sentence. 

_And she has my book,_ she finally admitted to herself, dropping to her knees. 

Her mind flung to pieces. Part of her was doing the mental-equivalent of sobbing. Another saw the memory of the sword in her hand, the book in the other, and contemplated the horror of never seeing either ever again. The last was remembering her words to the gem in that book just last night, telling it what it had meant to her and how she’d promised to help it. The memory of Amethyst destroying her wildness survival book to make bedding for herself, the thought of her doing it to that book made Connie feel like she was going to throw up. It made her feel like even more of a failure.

Lapis lifted herself out of the crater of snow she’d be smashed into. “Wow, shorty knows how to drop a girl,” she muttered.

Peridot righted herself from where she’d been laid flat. Her fingers reconfigured into a firing array when a corrupted Quartz erupted from the ground nearby and instead ate a face full plasma.

The next time Connie looked up she saw Amethyst disappear into the trees, too distant to even tell what shape she was assuming as she landed.

Connie ran off, bubble in hand. The gems let her go.

When the mop up efforts were completed, they found Connie sitting sullenly on the warp pad. They warped home in silence.

* * *

Connie was in Blanketville. She was sitting on her mattress, the blanket from her bed pulled over her head. The bubble was clutched to her chest and her knees were drawn up. The bubble gave off just enough of a glow that Connie could see herself and the suspended gemstone in the gloom. She wasn’t looking at anything in particular, though. Her mind was numb when it wasn’t a deep well of sorrow.

Jasper and Peridot had tried in their ways to help but neither could penetrate her despair. Mercifully, they’d wandered off before making things worse.

There was a rush of air from Lapis’ downstroke and then the creak of the Blue gem settling down on the mattress nearby. “I swear I saw a girl headed up this way who was in need of Lapis Hugs. Have you seen her? I think her name was Connie.”

The blanket sagged a little and replied in a sad monotone, “Connie’s not here. Didn’t you hear Amethyst? I’m Citrine, but the version that’s worse in every single way. I live in Blanketville now. It’s better this way.”

Lapis sat there beside the girl in understanding silence for a while. In time she began to pat Connie’s back gently through the blanket. Eventually a small gap opened up under the lip of the blanket and a hand reached out expectantly. Lapis handed her the box of tissues she’d brought without needing to be asked. More silence passed if you ignored the occasional, muffled sob.

Finally Lapis said in a soft voice, “I get it. You think you screwed up and you hurt others and you failed yourself.”

A long moment passed and then the blanket gave the smallest of nods.

Lapis continued. “Thing is, you may not even be wrong. Sometimes you fail. Sometimes you suck. It’s life and I’ve lived long enough to tell you that the mistakes never completely stop.”

This led to another round of quiet sobbing, but the tenor was slightly different. Less regret and more release, if Lapis was any judge.

“It does get better though. It hurts, you go to an island or Blanketville or wherever, you wallow some, and then it hurts a little less. The trick is not to go overboard like a certain blue someone who will remain anonymous.” That earned a muted chuckle.

“Then you get back, try and make things better --that’s another important addition to the process that some of us take longer to figure out than others-- and get on with living your life. Donuts help. Ice cream helps better. All of us giving you a big hug and telling you how much we love you? That’ll help too, though maybe not right away.”

The blanket sniffed and then the border of Blanketville was raised slightly in invitation.

Lapis crouched down and ducked under the covers, seeing the dim outline of Connie. She gently brushed away the tears on Connie’s cheeks while making a consoling ‘there there’.

“Do you want to tell me about it?” Lapis invited.

Silence followed by a ‘no’ almost too soft to hear.

“That’s alright. I’m here for you regardless. Lapis Hugs, as promised; come ‘ere, you.”

* * *

All four of them were looking up at the thick cloud of bubbles surrounding the Crystal Heart. Gems of every description were hovering overhead. More than Connie could count. More than Connie could see.

What they’d come to call the Ruby layer, the thick cloud of corrupted Rubies that had been bubbled en masse by Tiger’s Eye during the mission to retrieve the Geode Beetle of Earth, was for the first time largely obscured. Instead a panoply of Quartzes were bubbled, every shade and shape could be found if you spent the time looking.

All of the bubbles in the layers overhead were orange, green, or blue. In Connie’s hands, which she’d held onto doggedly, was a bubble of yellow. The first such bubble in over thirteen years, in fact, though she didn’t feel the swell of pride and accomplishment she’d long imagined she would.

“Do you think it’s Biggs?” asked Lapis, peering at the gem inside.

“It’s certainly _a_ Biggs Jasper, if that’s what you mean,” answered Peridot.

Jasper squinted at the clear yellow bubble. “No way to know for sure. Whoever they are, they’re at peace now.”

The warrior placed a large hand on Connie’s shoulder and gave her a gentle squeeze. With a small gesture, Connie nudged the bubble upward where it drifted up until it joined the ranks of the rest of them, the one splash of yellow in a sea of greens, oranges, and blues.

* * *

Steven and Connie ate quietly for a while, the cry of gulls and the sounds of the surf below filling the silence. The eating was more of a mechanical thing for Steven as his stomach had gone through enough twists and turns and drops and Loop-the-Loops that it felt like it had tied itself into a knot.

Eventually he felt the weight of Connie’s stare upon him. He swallowed, a task which was more difficult than usual for some reason, and managed a weak smile. “I think… I think you had the right idea but it was one of those adventures where that wasn’t something you could do.”

Connie took a drink from her juice box and then her expression softened. “Thanks. That helps a little. I was worried you’d think…” she trailed off. “I was worried,” she amended.

“Plus, you learned to bubble! And… and you met a new gem and, I mean, she’s going to turn up again eventually. Maybe she needed to retreat to her Blanket Fortress of Solitude too.”

Connie’s eyes widen and she suddenly looked vulnerable. “But… the book. What’s she going to do to it?”

Steven felt the bottom drop out beneath him as their eyes locked. He tried to pack his expression with as much sympathy and assurance that it would all work out as he could… but eventually he had to break eye contact and stare at the picnic basket between them.

“I don’t know,” he conceded.

Connie blew out a long breath, her shoulders drooping. Eventually she said, “The next thing that happened was two days later-”

“Two days?!” exclaimed Steven. “You should get at least a week between this stuff!”

“I KNOW!” agreed Connie loudly.

Connie laid down on the picnic blanket and looked up at the sky. Steven moved some of the picnic stuff aside and joined her in cloud gazing.

“Anyway, it was two days later. I was lying on my bed trying to study when all of the sudden…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The art for this chapter came from BurdenKing. The chapter promo and the model below was drawn by MjStudioArts.
> 
>   
> Tune in Wednesday, November 8th for the next chapter of _Loud and Clear_ : **Citrine's Room**.
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> BR42 had the idea of making Amethyst's dialogue a mix of French and English to further establish her as a feral gem unused to the company of others who could hold a conversation. The translations came from a friend of his, CT, who we're grateful to for the assistance.
> 
> * * *
> 
> New omakes to point out:  
> *) [So This Is Basically Connie Swap](http://archiveofourown.org/works/10673391/chapters/28215912) by [br42](http://archiveofourown.org/users/br42/pseuds/br42) and [CoreyWW](http://archiveofourown.org/users/CoreyWW/pseuds/CoreyWW) \- "Connie Swap parody in the style of JelloApocalypse's _So This is Basically_ Youtube series."  
>  *) [The Lost Episode - BR42 Edition](http://archiveofourown.org/works/10673391/chapters/28268220) by [br42](http://archiveofourown.org/users/br42/pseuds/br42) \- "After the disastrous New Year's party at the Universe's house, Lapis was gone for more than three months. This is a story of what she was doing for those 99 days." **This fic is mostly canon.**  
>  *) [What if Steven was half gem too?](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12265302/chapters/28216152) by [br42](http://archiveofourown.org/users/br42/pseuds/br42) and [CoreyWW](http://archiveofourown.org/users/CoreyWW/pseuds/CoreyWW) \- A new addition to Peridot’s What-If Machine Collection.
> 
> Finally, if you enjoy the _So This is Basically_ Connie Swap parody, CoreyWW has gone and created a [seperate fic](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12440343/chapters/28311975) for him and others to post parodies of other Steven Universe fanfics.
> 
> * * *
> 
> If you have a Connie Swap story burning in your soul that you want to see in our official, curated Omake collection, drop us a comment either in the Omake fic or here in the main fic and we'll get in touch.
> 
> Connie Swap has an official Discord for the fans. [Come check it out.](https://discord.gg/RQMDdhr)
> 
> As usual, we'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments and your asks at the [Connie Swap Tumblr](http://connieswap.tumblr.com/). Thanks for reading!


	3. Citrine’s Room

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After you finish reading this chapter, there is a related omake story you might want to check out:  
> [Deleted Scenes - Ep16: Loud and Clear, Ch3: Citrine's Room](http://archiveofourown.org/works/10673391/chapters/28871277) by [br42](http://archiveofourown.org/users/br42/pseuds/br42), [BurdenKing](http://archiveofourown.org/users/BurdenKing/pseuds/BurdenKing), [CoreyWW](http://archiveofourown.org/users/CoreyWW/pseuds/CoreyWW), [MJStudioArts](http://archiveofourown.org/users/MjStudioArts/pseuds/MjStudioArts) \- "An alternate scene for the gems comforting Connie following her experience in Citrine’s Room"

The Beach House was silent save for the patter of rain against the windows. Connie drifted slowly into wakefulness laying on her side. For the second morning in a row Connie opened her eyes to see the conspicuous gap in her bookshelf.

Connie awoke to find her covers wrapped around her like a constricting python. In her dream she'd been running to try and catch up to the fleeing Amethyst but the snow had clung to her legs, preventing her from keeping the purple gem in sight.

She rose reluctantly, stretched, and extricated herself from her blanket's stranglehold. After pulling on a loose shirt and leggings, she made her way down the stairs from her loft. There was a note on the kitchen counter that she looked at after rubbing some of the sleep from her eyes.

_Connie,_

_Lapis, Jasper, and I have headed out on a routine mission and decided against waking you. Take time to recover from the previous mission's physical and emotional toll. You did very well and deserve the respite. When you become hungry, there is food in the refrigeration unit with instructions._

_-Peridot_

She scoffed. _Did very well? VERY WELL?! If I did so 'well' then why was that mission such a disaster that I'm literally having nightmares about it?!_ Without explicitly meaning to, she crumpled the note as her hands balled into a fists, her knuckles white from the grip.

For a time Connie could do nothing but stand there, ramrod straight and incensed. The power sink hanging from her neck shifted with swift fluidity from blue to yellow and then to orange before Connie forced herself to relax.

With a shuddering breath, she wiped the corner of her eyes and entered the kitchen to prepare herself some breakfast. Peridot's instructions were, as ever, quite detailed. There was a time when that had frustrated Connie, a mild form of friction between the girl and her caregiver. However, between Connie’s ‘Lapis Maneuver’ in January and the week Peridot had spent poofed in March, Connie had mellowed on the meals. It was one way Peridot showed she cared.

It didn’t make the oatmeal or fresh-squeezed lemonade taste any better, but it did help soothe the turmoil in her gut.

* * *

Connie sat on the couch, snacking on carrot sticks as she absently played through a level of BoxIt on her phone. _I've still never made it past level seventeen on this-_

A flash of lightning and a peal of thunder caused her eyes to leap from the screen. She idly watched the rain splatter against the windows, the ocean partially obscured by the storm. A moment later and her gaze instinctively drifted upward to the portrait that had been hanging above the door for as long as Connie could remember.

_I wonder if mom could make it thunder and lightning? Could she call it to her, redirect it like some of the heroes in Steven’s trove of comics? Would that hurt? Did she have to go and try getting struck by lightning to find out or did she just know how to use all her powers? Was it the same with being a leader - that she just_ knew _what to do? Would she really have done to Amethyst what-_

Connie closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her palms hurt from how her nails had been digging into them while she’d been lost in thought. Despite Peridot’s oatmeal, what inner calm she’d managed to scrounge was becoming tenuous.

When she'd been younger, she'd spent hours studying that painting of Citrine, memorizing every detail about it. When she'd been younger still, she'd spoken to it, telling it elaborate stories about what she'd do when she was a Crystal Gem, about the books she was reading, about what she and daddy had done during their latest day out.

Now she thought it looked flat, vacant. Every carefully-recalled detail was there, every brushstroke and splash of color, but she was looking for something she'd seen before and found it missing.

Answers.

When she’d been little, the answer to what she was going to do was obvious: be like her mother. Now she wasn’t sure she could. Now she wasn’t sure she should.

Connie's sense of loneliness redoubled as the woman on the canvas looked serenely down upon her. It was as though she had no worries, no doubts, a perfect gem who was perfectly content.

 _She's gone but I still have the gems,_ Connie rallied. _I have dad and Steven. That's..._

She stopped, her hand instinctively lifting the glass of lemonade off the coffee table and bringing it to her lips. Not even the assurance of citrus could protect her from the hammerblow of her thought.

_That's more than Amethyst has now._

The inner turmoil came roaring back, hitting Connie like a physical force. It was all she could do not to spill her glass before setting it back on the table. She hugged her legs to her chest, her body curling up on itself. She was rocked by the storm inside her, all while the woman above the door looked down, untroubled by her plight.

Furtively, as though trying to avoid the notice of her own doubts, Connie reached out for her phone and pressed the smiling icon that was Steven's picture. It wasn't until the fourth ring that she remembered he hadn't been reachable for ten days now.

Connie ended the call and reached for her lemonade once more. She looked down into the brilliant yellow beverage. Out of the corner of her eye she could see the similarly colored gem at her chest. She swallowed and bit at the inside of her cheek.

"This sucks..."

Connie looked up at the distant figure, content in her frame. "Did you ever feel like this? Did you have regrets? Did you ever think about what would happen with you gone?"

There was no answer. There never was.

A flame of indignation smouldered in her gut and Connie seized on it. "If you were so perfect, why didn't you leave me more than a portrait?! Peridot made a frighteningly comprehensive manual for the _possibility_ that she might be poofed or... worse. You knew what was coming, so why didn't you-"

There was the familiar noise of the temple opening. Connie's jaw snapped shut as she bit back on her tirade, not wanting to share it with whoever was stepping into the Beach House.

 _...But Lapis, Peridot, and Jasper are away on a mission,_ her mind slowly provided. 

She swiveled around and saw the door open, an unfamiliar and decidedly yellow room visible within. Connie noticed through her shirt that her gemstone had been glowing and was fading back to quiescence.

She looked at the open temple door, then back at her gemstone, and then over at her mother's portrait, her mouth hanging open.

In a burst of movement, Connie all but dove off the couch and sprinted toward the yellow room, fearful the door would close before she could reach it.

* * *

Connie perched just inside the threshold of the room, her eyes wide as she tried to _will_ herself to be more perceptive. One thought was roaring through her mind, on repeat, drowning everything else out.

_THIS WAS MY MOM'S ROOM!_

Connie felt hot and cold at the same time. Her limbs were tingling with excitement; someone else would probably describe the sensation as ‘electrical’ but Connie knew first-hand that that felt different. She wanted to whoop and scream with excitement. 

At the same time she felt afraid of even breathing too heavily. Like an archaeologist uncovering a hidden tomb, Connie wanted to be certain she disturbed _nothing_ , missed _nothing_ that might be important.

Which made the ecstatic boogie she did anyway _entirely_ inappropriate.

The floor was sandy, a fine powder that felt comfortable underfoot and seemed unwilling to cling to the bottoms of her feet. The room looked like a sandstone cavern with a high ceiling and clear lighting despite a lack of light sources. Yellow crystals jutted out of walls and floors along the edge of the room. Some were being used as shelves for knick-knacks.

 _No, I shouldn't prime myself, thinking of them as trinkets. Any of these could be_ hugely _important,_ thought Connie as she slowly stepped into the room, her head swiveling like a meerkat on lookout.

One side of the room appeared very lived in, most noticeably containing an arrangement of pillows partially shrouded by fine yellow gauze. The pile contained cushions of every shape and size with no apparent organizing principle. It was dominated by a massive red one which was propped against the wall in an L shape like a futon sofa. 

There were two tiki masks, one grinning like a loon and set against the wall, another on the floor staring up at the ceiling, mouth open wide. A yellow bubble containing a garland of colorful flowers hung suspended in the air. The floor was cluttered and the walls were decorated with photos and crystal-shelved belongings. 

The other side of the room was the opposite: the floor and walls were bare. The crystal outcroppings were unadorned and more numerous. However, the sand was swirled into abstract patterns: like cloud gazing, the designs were just chaotic enough that the eye would find shapes and figures only to lose them a moment later.

Excitement singing in her veins, Connie turned back to the busier side of the room… and felt something crunch underfoot. The excitement turned to ice.

Lifting her foot up she saw a crushed rose petal. Her eyes trailed across the floor, following more dessicated petals to a vase containing long-dead roses. _What have I done?! What if the petals spelled out a message?! Or, the distance between them represented the numeric code to a hidden vault I was meant to find?! Or- Or-_

Connie took a deep breath, then another, the panic slowly subsiding. “It’s okay. On the _extremely unlikely_ chance that petal was important, I’ll just mark that spot and move on,” she told herself. Like a golfer marking the position of their ball with a quarter, she fished a hair tie out of her pocket and laid it around the pulverized petal.

Looking further she saw what looked like a pink scabbard lying nearby. Stepping carefully over and crouching down, she studied the unfamiliar emblem on it but could make no sense of it. _Why would mom need a scabbard? Did she fight with swords that weren’t summoned? I think I’d barely be able to lift a sword big enough to fit that thing._

Nearby was a baseball and what looked like a short length of rope, the ends tied into knots. Polaroids, of the gems, of landscapes, and one she was pretty sure was a blurry shot of her dad, were pinned to the walls. Up and to the right was a plant fossil. Below that was a dancing hula girl toy used on car dashboards. And beside that was…

...a mix of printed books and journals, stacked tall.

The [fourth movement of Beethoven’s ninth symphony](https://www.google.com/url?q=https://youtu.be/ChygZLpJDNE?t%3D863&sa=D&ust=1510149223111000&usg=AFQjCNGidXtQVzmjFBU264Pb1e5HLU69dg), _Ode to Joy_ , swelled inside Connie. A part of her figured that if she’d had those floaty powers she’d occasionally wished for, here, now, she’d drift away entirely.

* * *

Connie was sitting cross-legged on a force field hovering a few inches above the sand. She was seated on a cushion, not one of the colorful ones nearby (she still couldn’t bring herself to disturb them), but rather one she’d hurriedly stolen from the living room couch.

In front of her was a spiral notebook, open, with the original order and placement of the titles written neatly down. On her left was a growing stack of the books she’d skimmed. Titles like _Hawaiian Adventure: A Guide to your Polynesian Vacation_ , _The Mathematics of Mandelbrot: Fractals Explained_ , and _How to Talk to People_ had quickly made their way there (the last being, curiously, only two pages long).

She’d been unable to discern any deeper meaning from these, and they were utterly lacking highlighted sections or text scrawled in the margins, but that was okay. She’d just finished skimming the last of the published books and was holding in her hand the first of the journals, labeled in expressive yellow handwriting simply, _’Observations, Vol. 1’_.

> _Some humans like to keep journals. Doug said he wrote in one as a youth. Peridot has always kept her logs. I have been hearing that some of the campers in the latest show she and Lapis are so enthusiastic about write them as well. If gems, humans, and even fictional humans choose to try this activity, why not me as well?_

Connie traced over some of the words with her fingertips, a curious feeling fluttering in her stomach. The following couple of pages were left blank, but then she came across the next entry.

> _Flaxen Spiral is working in the clothing store by the boardwalk. This has made her more ochre overall, a mix of assuredness and resignation that is fascinating. Lapis and Peridot have made the boardwalk a staple for their activities, so my strolls are less disruptive than they once were. It’s pleasant. I asked Flaxen what a ‘Beach Hunk’ was but didn’t quite grasp her explanation. I’ll have to see if Doug can clarify._
> 
> * * *
> 
> _Flaxen Spiral took her child with her to the clothing store. This always tightens the spiral but makes her more canary as well. The child, a boy, hid behind a clothes rack and kept peeking at me when he thought I wasn’t looking. Is he afraid? Shy? I understand even other humans have a hard time determining the motives of children._
> 
> _I was attempting to purchase the ‘Beach Hunk’ shirt for Jasper --Doug’s elaboration convinced me she fit the description-- when Lime-and-Chartreuse Tessellation entered. Lapis has always found the drama surrounding romantically entangled humans particularly entertaining. I share her enthusiasm, if for different reasons: sights that vibrant are rare indeed._
> 
> _Outwardly, neither acted out of the ordinary until Lime offered the boy his sunglasses. The boy found the gift delightful but Flaxen became incensed. She physically hauled Lime into the back of the shop and an argument ensued that the door and walls did little to mute. That the boy was Lime’s son was made clear but the rest was difficult to contextualize. By choice and by circumstance, human lives are so eventful they can be hard to keep pace with sometimes._
> 
> _The boy dropped the glasses and hid behind the clothes rack again. Lime accidentally crushed them underfoot when he left. I departed soon after to allow Flaxen and her child space to recover. I will purchase Jasper’s shirt tomorrow. There is no rush; she won’t wear the garment regardless. Still, I know she appreciates the tokens even if the culture behind them remains opaque to her._

Connie furrowed her brow in intense concentration. Was her mom deliberately writing in code? Who were the people in the entries? Chewing the side of her cheek, she carefully laid the journal open, retrieved her spiral notebook, and began jotting down notes.

* * *

Connie’s hair had grown disheveled and her expression was more often frowning than reverent. She kept getting so distracted trying to puzzle through the room’s mysteries, looking at the books and trinkets both, that she’d lose concentration on the field and suffer a sudden two-inch drop to the sand below. It didn’t hurt but it was startling and it threw her notes into disarray.

She’d settled for hauling an actual chair and the coffee table into the room. Upon returning to the chamber after getting a drink and taking a bathroom break, she noticed that the pages of notes, polaroids, journals, and knick-knacks looked like the conspiracy web Ricardo had made in the _Bonnie Lockdrew_ movie. That was probably a bad sign.

Finger-combing her frazzled hair, Connie blew out a breath and tried to puzzle through the final entry of the sixth and final journal.

> _Carmine Snowflake finished the emergency drills and then gave out glow sticks to his townsfolk. Peridot and Lapis have asked that I gather some whenever I have opportunity to do so --for a morp they’re working on, I expect-- so I entered the crowd._
> 
> _They parted around me instinctively. Even the bold ones do when they’re in a crowd. Oil and water. Gem and human. I wonder sometimes if her idea has merit. Still, as I said millennia ago, not ‘Nora.’_
> 
> _Carmine is so nervous when any of us are around. Even Doug elicits a similar reaction these days. He hid his relief well when I departed with a handful of red, green, and blue glowsticks._
> 
> _It was a fine day overall though I ended it more restless than not. I will go patrolling with Jasper; that often helps. I have decided to end my journaling with this entry here. I don’t believe I am any more in touch with gems, humans, or fictional campers, but I enjoyed choosing a new hobby._

_That was it. That was it? That was…_

Connie’s back twinged, still faintly sore from a week or so ago and unhappy at her being hunched over reading for hours. A beat later and she heard a growling sound. It took her a moment to realize it was coming from her own throat.

“Oh come on!” she yelled, tossing the notebook aside and getting to her feet so fast the chair rocked unsteadily. “That’s it? You left me cryptic notes written in some weird color-geometry code about getting glowsticks from Mayor Dewey? And-and dead flowers? A bubbled lei? A _HULA GIRL?!_ ” she roared, lifting the trinket aloft, the motion making the tiny figure dance frantically.

Addressing the room at large, she called out, “You know, if you wanted to give me, like, a sign or anything, now would be a pretty good time.”

There was no response.

“No holographic message activated by my voice? No lingering advice, one Citrine to another? No guidance for your daughter? I dunno, a Hallmark card? Anything?!”

Spinning around to the open doorway, she pointed accusingly at the portrait, adding, “I tried everything I could think of with that scabbard, by the way, and it didn’t do squat!”

“I shouldn’t be surprised,” Connie spoke low, her head hanging. “It’s not like I even know that you _wanted_ to help me. Maybe… maybe you were just _done_ and everything that came after was for everyone else to figure out.”

She reached up, touching her gemstone, and whispered, “I know so little about you. Everyone just says how great you are but, I don’t-”

Connie turned in place, looking at the room that had not so long ago held such promise. It was… It was…

Like a Magic Eye picture suddenly coming into focus, Connie realized what she’d been overlooking, what had been right in front of her, the simple truth about the room she’d been steadfastly avoiding.

She’d walked into a stranger’s room. She’d rifled through their stuff, read the books on their shelves, looked at their keepsakes. These things were probably significant to Citrine, might be significant to her dad and the gems, but to her it was all just… stuff.

Connie didn’t know Citrine. She never would.

Connie roared and kicked the tiki mask on the floor. It spun through the air and bounced off one of the large crystals along the edge of the room. She hurled the coil of rope against a sandstone wall, where it landed with a muted thump and toppled to the sand.

Then she threw herself onto the untouched pile of cushions. Blindly grabbing one, she buried her face in it and screamed. She kicked her feet and thrashed. If it weren’t for the power sink around Connie’s neck, her rage would have been anything but impotent.

Eventually Connie sank into the cushions, a boneless figure adrift in a sea of emotions and too tired to struggle on.

The pillows smelled faintly of honeysuckles.

* * *

It was late. Connie waited on the sofa, a blanket wrapped tightly around her such that only her head was visible. Cold, mostly uneaten spaghetti sat on the floor in front of her where the coffee table usually stood.

With an act of will, Connie made her gem glow, the color faintly visible through the blanket. In the corner of her vision she saw the temple door open, revealing the yellow room beyond. Another glow and the door closed.

She sighed, withdrew her arms from the covers, and bent down to pick up her phone.

_* CoMa - 10:23pm | Hey Steven. So, my gemstone acted up and I was able to get into my mom’s room. It wasn’t what I expected. Call me._

There wasn’t a reply, but that was in keeping with the day’s theme it would seem. She tucked the phone in a pocket as her arms disappeared back into the blanket.

There was a chime, a flash of light, and then Lapis, Jasper, and Peridot were standing on the warp pad.

“-shifter like that? She could be anywhere by now,” said Lapis, the first part of her sentence having been swallowed up by the warp stream.

Jasper was about to say something when Peridot hissed, “Refrain until we’re in the temple. We don’t want to disturb Co- Connie! Hello,” she said, her tone jolting mid-sentence into something meant to sound chipper.

“How have you…” she trailed off as she took in the cold spaghetti and Connie’s equally cold demeanor.

The trio walked over, Jasper and Lapis sitting on either side of the girl while Peridot stood in front and a few paces back. A contingent of floating fingers spirited the cold dinner over to the kitchen counter before returning.

The silence stretched on long enough to edge into the uncomfortable when Connie said, in a low voice, “How was the mission?”

“Fruitless, I’m afraid,” answered Peridot. “How was your day?”

“Same.”

“I… see.”

There was another long pause.

“Was my mother really perfect all the time?” Connie blurted out so suddenly it made Peridot jump.

Lapis was opening her mouth to speak when more words poured out of Connie. “I mean, did she just… have all the answers, always?!”

The technician and the hydrokinetic shared a look, each hesitant to stumble headlong into an emotional minefield.

“Pretty much,” Jasper answered simply, being no stranger to headlong charges.

Lapis and Peridot shot Jasper a dirty look, the former turning back to Connie and saying, “Hey girlie, is there something specific that's got you wondering?”

Peridot cleared her throat and chimed in, saying, “And, should it be somehow related, my sensors are unable to locate the coffee table or one of our chairs within the confines of the Beach House. Do you know their whereabouts?”

Connie sat in sullen silence, her mute response being a faint yellow glow beneath the blanket followed by a wash of yellow light from the direction of the temple.

Jasper’s eyes were as wide as Connie had ever seen them. Lapis’ mouth hung open. Peridot had her floating fingers steepled in front of her as she drew a deep breath.

A beat later and one of her limb enhancers dinged, having detected the missing furniture.

Jasper looked at the others as if begging to leave the couch, the warrior’s usual stoicism obliterated completely.

“Go ahead, Jaspy,” answered Lapis with a little wave of her hand. “Just be sure to bring back the furniture when you’re done.”

Jasper stood quickly and strode through the temple door. Through no action of Connie’s it closed behind her.

“Your mother’s room has been locked for more than a decade,” explained Peridot, still staring at the temple door. “Hence Jasper’s urgency.”

She then turned back to face Connie. “To answer your previous inquiry, no, Citrine was not a completely flawless being. She had limits to her foresight, her judgement was sometimes in error, and she had done things she later regretted. Nor do I suspect she was perfect in the gemetic sense, like Jasper. Admittedly it is a hard value to quantify since her gem line was both experimental and-”

“Kinda getting off track there, Peri,” interrupted Lapis.

Peridot’s cheeks flushed a slightly darker shade of green as she cleared her throat. “Ah, I apologize. My point being, your mother was exceptional but she was not _exceptionless._ ”

If anything, that seemed to make Connie more crestfallen.

Lapis patted the blanket in a few places before finding one of Connie’s arms and giving it a squeeze through the padding.

Connie sniffed once, twice, then blew loudly into the tissue Peridot’s floating fingers had retrieved from across the room. “If she really were perfect then at least I’d know there was a good reason why she left me so clueless,” she said with a tremble in her voice. Then, looking up at the pair, her gaze suddenly intense, she said, “Guys, I can’t summon my sword. And there’s so much I don’t understand...”

“Now dear, as a trainee one can-” but Peridot was cut off as Connie barreled on.

“And when I mess up? People suffer for my mistakes. Why did she- Why was the only thing she left behind for me her problems?” she said before choking back a sob and wiping her eyes on the covers.

Lapis leaned in and wrapped her arms around the blanket-engulfed Connie, giving her a side hug and resting her head on the girl’s shoulder.

Peridot crouched down to Connie’s level, her hand-equivalents resting on her knees. “Let me tell you a story, dear. It contains some pertinent facts and may help you recontextualize your despair. Do you recall when we were in the control room of the Prime Kindergarten? Jasper had discovered us and elaborated on the terms of my parole that I was… _skirting creatively_ by being there. I then confessed that during my early years on this planet I made a misguided attempt to contact my Dia-” Peridot choked on the word and had to swallow before trying again, “my _superior_ to educate her about the merits of a sustainably managed Earth. This would have been disastrous and it was only by the narrowest of margins that your mother prevented me from committing such a grave error.”

Connie nodded before retreating further into the folds of her blanket.

“After I reformed, your mother, in her clemency, took me on something of a tour. For months we traveled, visiting numerous sites distributed across this planet, all connected with the war. There were the battlefields, the ruins, places were great structures had fallen or countless gems had been shattered. But of particular unpleasantness were the places of infamy she led me to, sites that served as reminders of the darkest parts of the war.”

“Like the Kindergartens?” asked a pair of brown eyes barely visible above the blanket.

Peridot gave a small shake of her head. “No, or rather, not precisely. These were the questioning chambers, the oubliettes, as well as some particularly, erm, _specialized_ laboratories and foundries. Places where terrible acts were committed on the helpless in the name of winning the war. Places that make my gem ache just recalling them.”

Peridot realized she’d wrapped her hand-equivalents around her arms, drawing in on herself slightly while she’d been speaking. She took a deep breath as she returned them to her knees, resuming her tale. “The primary purpose of this tour was to allow me to better realize the scope of Homeworld’s misdeeds. I told you all of this, in brief, when you, Jasper, and I were within the Prime Kindergarten control room. What I haven’t told you was the secondary purpose of these visits.”

At that point Connie felt Lapis lift her head from her shoulder. A glance confirmed that the Blue gem was paying close attention to her friend.

Peridot continued. “At the very end of the tour, your mother had us warp a ways distant from the temple and then travel the intervening terrain on foot. A few miles from our destination your mother signaled a halt and she faced me, her face grim. It was clear she’d been crying sometime recently. She said to me, ‘Peridot, of all the sites I showed you, the worst of them all, the ugliest reminders of what gem can do to gem? A few of them never belonged to Homeworld.’

“I asked her which ones specifically and she replied, ‘The fact that you can’t tell is all the proof you need that everyone lost the war. All I did was make sure the Earth lost least. Whatever happens from here on out, you question Jasper, Lapis, and me, me most of all, if you know what we’re doing isn’t right. We all have the right to choose on Earth. And sometimes we choose wrong.’”

There was a long and heavy silence that followed.

Connie emerged slightly from her coverings, her voice quiet but firmer than before. “Was what we did to Amethyst wrong? Because it felt that way then and… and it feels that way now.”

Peridot shook her head. “I think it was necessary. I’m... uncertain if it was right.” 

Connie heard a sniffle from Lapis, the Blue gem releasing her hug so she could wipe her nose on her sleeve. A moment later and the hug returned, if anything, firmer than before.

A finger floated up and wiped under one of Peridot’s lenses. The gem gave Connie an apologetic look and said, “To your original point, I think your mother, regardless of how decisive and confident she seemed, carried a lot of doubt and at least a little shame over some of her actions. As far as leaving you her problems, maybe she hoped you would learn from them so you could, in time, handle your own dilemmas to your satisfaction.”

She stepped in, adding another layer to the hug surrounding Connie. “Whatever the case, I do know that we’ll assist you to the fullest of our abilities.”

* * *

That night Connie laid in bed deliberately facing the wall with her _Spirit Morph Saga_ poster and postcard tack board. If she faced the other way then it was too easy to shift a little and see… _her_ portrait. Connie’s emotional wounds at least felt like they’d been bandaged, though it took little to remind her they were still there.

_Perfect mom? Flawed mom? Which is worse? One was unknowable, the other, uncaring. I... I don't like either but there’s no third option here._

Connie worried on the problem like a dog on a bone. She’d found no answers today and she would find none tonight either.

From her frame, Citrine looked on, the very picture of serenity.

* * *

Connie and Steven were laying down facing skyward, their upper bodies resting on the picnic blanket and their legs draped across the grass. The food was bundled up into the basket and forgotten.

Steven couldn't tell if Connie was staring at the clouds or if she even had her eyes open. Between the angle and the tears he kept trying to discretely wipe away, he could barely see her at all.

At first he'd thought he'd felt the start of a tummy ache - that happened when he drank durian juice too fast. But he knew tummy aches and this was something else entirely.

For some reason certain memories kept prodding him for attention mid-tale. They were about him and his dad consoling mom after they had found out great-grandma was likely to die soon. It wasn't until story-Connie was talking with miss Peridot that it all clicked: he was mourning, mourning on Connie’s behalf.

If anything that realization made the tears flow faster. Just imagining not having his mom made the ache intensify, like he'd been scratched on his finger by Lion and later forgot and then reached into a jar of pickles.

That pickle juice is serious stuff.

Then he remembered that his mom had been the one to help little, crying Steven after the Pickle Incident and his hand was back in the jar all over again.

Connie had finished her story and was quiet. She wasn't, as far as Steven could tell, crying like he was.

He scooched over a little on the picnic blanket, still looking up, still using one hand to mop his eyes and cheeks. With his other hand he reached out until he brushed the side of hers. Invitation sent, Steven felt Connie hesitate a moment before sliding her hand over. He gripped hers in what he hoped was a gentle and supportive way.

 _'You never knew your mother and maybe you don't even really understand what that means but I do and I'm feeling all of that for you so you don't have to feel so alone or confused'_ was a lot to try and express via touch. Steven briefly considered signing the words into her palm but decided against it. He might mess up somewhere along the way and then she'd be even more confused. Besides, Connie had ticklish palms.

* * *

They sat up. Connie gave him a wan smile but her eyes were grateful. A bit later she said, "The next thing that happened was four days later."

Steven opened his mouth to ask her how she was with the whole ‘mom’ thing. He stopped himself, stumbled on the words and eventually said, "F-Four is better than two, at least."

"Yeah,” she agreed, her expression going distant. “So this next one started with a phone call..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The art for this chapter came from MjStudioArts. The chapter promo was drawn by BurdenKing and lettered by MjStudioArts.
> 
> Tune in Wednesday, November 22nd for the next chapter of _Loud and Clear_ : **Whine and Dine**.
> 
> * * *
> 
> New omakes to point out:  
> *) [Crossing Over - Chapter 1](http://archiveofourown.org/works/10673391/chapters/28680628) by TexasAndroid - "Connie and Steven are goofing off together when something strange happens to Steven. This marks the start of an adventure unlike any Connie has had before."  
> *) [Crossing Over - Chapter 2](http://archiveofourown.org/works/10673391/chapters/28871241) by TexasAndroid  
> *) [What if all the Connies from a number of different fanfics got together?](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12265302/chapters/28680336) by [br42](http://archiveofourown.org/users/br42/pseuds/br42) \- A new addition to Peridot’s What-If Machine Collection.  
> *) [Deleted Scenes - Ep16: Loud and Clear, Ch3: Citrine's Room](http://archiveofourown.org/works/10673391/chapters/28871277) by [br42](http://archiveofourown.org/users/br42/pseuds/br42), [BurdenKing](http://archiveofourown.org/users/BurdenKing/pseuds/BurdenKing), [CoreyWW](http://archiveofourown.org/users/CoreyWW/pseuds/CoreyWW), [MJStudioArts](http://archiveofourown.org/users/MjStudioArts/pseuds/MjStudioArts) \- "An alternate scene for the gems comforting Connie following her experience in Citrine’s Room"
> 
> Also, additional parodies have been added to [So This is Basically Steven Universe Fanfiction](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12440343/chapters/28311975).
> 
> * * *
> 
> If you have a Connie Swap story burning in your soul that you want to see in our official, curated Omake collection, drop us a comment either in the Omake fic or here in the main fic and we'll get in touch.
> 
> Connie Swap has an official Discord for the fans. [Come check it out.](https://discord.gg/RQMDdhr)
> 
> As usual, we'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments and your asks at the [Connie Swap Tumblr](http://connieswap.tumblr.com/). Thanks for reading!


	4. Whine and Dine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After you finish reading this chapter, there is a related omake story you might want to check out:  
> [Loud and Clear: Priyanka Epilogue](http://archiveofourown.org/works/10673391/chapters/29961447) by [br42](http://archiveofourown.org/users/br42/pseuds/br42) \- Priyanka and Doug react following the family dinner in Ep16Ch4: _Whine and Dine_. **This fic is 100% canon.**

The lava flows were the smell of citrus today, giving the whole of Peridot's room a sense of cleanliness that was at odds with the mounds of spare parts, castoff appliances, robonoid components, and art installations created before Connie had been born. Given that the piles included a truck-sized steam engine that looked to have been built by James Watt himself as well as a skeletonized Ford Model T, the meep morps weren't the only thing that predated Connie.

Off to one side, the Geode Beetles of Heaven and Earth appeared to be playing a miniature version of Guitar Hero from within their terrarium.

Peridot stood at her workbench, operating the lens grinder and humming an upbeat rendition of the CPH theme song, all while a half-dozen floating fingers flitted about putting away eye charts and optometry equipment. Connie sat at a student's desk a little ways distant, homework spread before her and her hair frizzing slightly.

The reason for the unruly hair and Peridot's upbeat attitude were the same: Connie wasn't wearing her power sink. The little gemtech necklace was placed on a hook by the room's entrance, well outside the radius of Connie's energy aura. This meant that Connie's general state of frustration --it had been a rough two weeks since she'd last managed to contact Steven-- was free to power the assorted devices Peridot had retrofitted to benefit from her proximity. It also meant her clothes were static clinging fiercely.

 _At least the quarterly eye exam went well,_ Connie conceded to herself.

There was a breath of wind and a flicker of movement that drew her attention away from her trigonometry assignment. Lapis landed nearby, grinned at Connie, and raised a finger to her lips calling for silence. Connie grinned back and gave a slight nod.

Moving with exaggerated stealth like the bad guy from an old-timey cartoon, Lapis crept up on the humming technician, shot Connie one last wink, and then loudly said, "Hey good-lookin'. Whatcha got cookin'?"

"YRG!" yelped Peridot, her floating fingers remaining at their stations while the rest of her leapt a full two feet in the air.

The Blue gem laughed heartily, Connie joining in from the sidelines, while Peridot went from wide-eyed to narrow, glaring at her ambusher and muttering under her breath.

Lapis took a step closer, reaching forward and around the Green gem, her wrists crossed and hanging behind Peridot's neck. "Don't deny it, Pea Pod. I know how to get your heart racing," she said, their noses only inches apart.

Peridot's eyes went wide once again, her cheeks flushing a deeper shade of green. "L-Lazuli," she stammered, clearing her throat, "remember our, erm, _discussion_ previously?" she said, putting emphasis on the penultimate word.

Lapis blinked then took a hasty step back, her arms falling awkwardly to her sides, her expression suddenly chagrined. "Right. Sorry, Peridot. Old habits and all."

Peridot straightened and made a show of smiling naturally. It was a good effort, if not entirely successful. "So, Lapis, to what do Connie and I owe this surprise visit?"

Lapis waltzed over and leaned on Connie's desk, all casual confidence once more. Up close Connie noticed the gem had a faint pine scent to her. "Oh nothing much. I got back from a nice long flight, shook the frost off my pigtails, and wanted to see how my favorite gal was doing." 

Peridot's smile became sincere and she opened her mouth to say something when Lapis added, "And you too, Peri." The Green gem's mouth shut with an audible 'clack' and she rolled her eyes behind her glasses. Lapis ruffled Connie’s hair.

Connie chuckled, fended off Lapis, and said, "I'm just doing homework while Peridot finishes my new glasses." She paused looking anxious, her hair poofing out further, then said, "Actually, since you're both here, there's something I was wanting to ask."

Lapis and Peridot exchanged a brief look, the latter shrugging. The svelte gem stepped towards one of the bridges that crossed the narrow, citrus-scented lava flows. Leaning against its railing, she said, "Sure, ask away, Con-con."

Straightening the papers on her desk and setting her mechanical pencil aside, Connie asked, "What did mom like to watch?"

"People," answered both gems without hesitation.

"No, like, what movies did she watch? TV shows? She was around for nearly the whole of modern film; she must have liked something." The girl withdrew in on herself slightly, adding, "I've, uh, been thinking about her a lot lately and there's just so many things I've never known."

Lapis gave Connie an understanding look. "When Periwinkle or I were really insistent, she'd humor us and watch _The Wizard of Oz_ or that old Superman film or whatever we were into that year, but she was never into them herself. Said they weren't as interesting as people."

Peridot gave a small nod. "Furthermore, terrestrial film technology had yet to reach a point that could generate a picture quality your mother could enjoy."

"What do you mean, ma'am?"

Drawing herself up into a pedagogical pose, Peridot began to pace as she spoke. "The human eye can perceive as still images roughly five frames per second, or FPS; anything faster is experienced as motion. The same is true for most gems as well. Movies are static images presented in rapid sequence to give the illusion of movement, with modern films presented in a range of twenty-four to sixty FPS. However, your mother's vision was so acute that anything short of ninety-six FPS would appear choppy and disjointed."

Lapis had been fiddling with the hem of one of her sleeves during Peridot's lecture, but perked up once the gem finished. "Yeah, so while we're all sitting there watching Christopher Reeves fly around in tights, she's watching what looks to her like a flipbook of a dude zipping around Empire City. In tights."

Connie unconsciously removed her glasses and polished them on her shirt. "That... makes sense. I, uh, certainly don't have _that_ problem."

Lapis frowned. "Hey, there's nothing wrong with enjoying a little Kansas magic. Why don't you go into the house and pick something fun from the movie pile. I'll come and watch it with ya after Peridot finds me something that can pop popcorn."

"You mean like a microwave?" joked Connie.

"Philistine. Proper movie popcorn comes from a machine that's like a toaster and a hair dryer got drunk and fused," retorted the Blue gem.

"Connie can't leave!" objected Peridot. "She’s powering my devices!"

Lapis gave her a pointed look. "Then plug them in, you green goober.”

“But they operate so much more efficiently with her power source,” the technician whined. “Add in the reduced need for maintenance and-”

Lapis interrupted her with a dismissive wave, saying, “I was going to kidnap Connie anyway, Prickle-dot. ‘All homework and no play’ and all that." Turning to Connie, she added, "You can open the door now, right?"

Connie nodded and extracted herself from the desk, her emotions still a little tangled after this latest reveal about her mom. Gathering up her homework, she walked toward the door while Lapis and Peridot had a hushed conversation. The sensation of her frizzed out hair wafting in the air reminded her to retrieve the power sink from its hook.

As she placed the gadget around her neck, she willed the temple door open and heard behind her, "-looking. It's called a flyover province for a reason though." Any curiosity Connie might have had in eavesdropping, though, was shattered the moment her phone beeped at her about a missed call.

_Steven! Gah! Stupid non-Euclidean temple not getting reception!_

She whipped out her phone and blindly jammed the button to return the call. She clutched the device two-handed and with a white knuckle grip as it rang in her ear.

"Oh, hey Connie," said Doug.

Without conscious volition, a long, low groan of frustration escaped Connie's lips.

A long silence followed.

"Well, it's good to hear from you too," her dad said, deadpan.

Connie hurried over to the couch, phone at her ear, mentally kicking herself. "Sorry dad. I was expecting someone else."

"Butt-dialed your old man, eh?" he said, laughing good-naturedly while Connie tried to object. "Well you're stuck with me now. Dads are the phone-equivalent of quicksand: struggling to escape will just make it worse."

Despite the earlier emotional whiplash, Connie found herself smiling.

"Oh, I've been meaning to ask," continued her dad, "How'd your scary movie night go? Were you able to see the zipper on the monster's suit or is that all CGI'd away these days?"

"It went fine, dad. We ate junk food. Buck and Jenny fell asleep before the end. One guy had us rate the movie so he could post about it on his blog. Uh, no zipper but it wasn't that kind of movie. More psychological horror, I guess."

"The real monster is other people?" hazarded Doug.

"That and novelty talking fish."

Doug laughed. "I never did trust those things. Well, the reason I called you in the first place was to invite you over to dinner tonight."

Connie smiled into the phone, a pleasant feeling of warmth pervading her. "Yeah, that'd be fun."

"Priyanka was thinking of making something really nice. Said it's something traditional; I think she's trying to impress us," he said, Connie's mental image of her father ending the statement with a wink.

Connie winced, the warmth gone in an arctic blast of anxiety. That sounded like the exact opposite of fun. Not because she didn’t love spending time with her dad just...

Not so much with the doctor.

"Sorry, I got cut off mid-sentence," she lied, nervously twirling her hair around a finger. "I was saying that'd be fun but Steven and I already had plans for tonight."

There was a pause, then in a flat voice Doug said, "Steven and his family are on vacation."

“...Oh, right,” Connie said while a corner of her mind recalled a number of Lapis' choice swears. “I must have forgotten...” she said lamely, trailing off.

Doug sighed.

“Look, Connie,” he said slowly. “Your old man isn’t entirely clueless. I know that you feel... tense around Priyanka.”

“Whaaat?” said Connie, forcing a playful tone in her voice. “Psh, no. That’s just silly. That’s-”

Her mental image of her father gave her a skeptical look.

“Okay, yeah, maybe,” Connie admitted.

“I understand it’s... different. But Priyanka really is a nice person and she wants to get to know you better. Plus, I don’t want her to be worried you hate her.”

Connie frowned. _I don't hate Priyanka. I just... feel better not having to deal with her,_ she thought. 

_Not that she'd see that as much of an improvement,_ she mentally added.

 _Am I being too unfair?_ Connie shook her head. _Eating pizza with her and dad hadn’t been that bad, actually._

Connie sighed.

“I guess dinner couldn’t hurt,” she mumbled.

“There’s my cute lass,” Doug said, cheer in his voice. “Actually Pri offered to pick you up at... seven?”’

Dimly, Connie heard Priyanka’s voice in the background say, “Yes, seven.”

“Seven o’clock,” Doug confirmed.

Connie squeezed the cell phone in her hand, gritting her teeth. _Was Priyanka just two feet away hearing that conversation the whole time?! And dad said all that in front of her?!_

 _All bets are off. Abort mission,_ Connie decided.

“Well, I don’t-”

“Great!” Doug said. “I’m really excited about this. Thanks, cute lass. I love you.”

“I-” Connie just sighed. “Yeah, I love you too.”

She ended the call and pocketed her phone, her shoulders slumped.

The temple opened and Lapis walked out holding an old popcorn popper. "Alright, girlie! It's you, me, and the finest popper technology 1987 has to offer. So, what're we... did I miss something?"

* * *

The pair watched _The Rescuers_. Lapis said that the Don Bluth-era animation had a kind of charming campiness that had aged well. Connie enjoyed the familiar Disney romp, but she worried the real reason she'd picked it was because of the unambiguously wicked mother figure, Madame Medusa, who was terrorizing the little girl, Penny. Not so worried that she objected when Lapis suggested they watch _The Rescuers Down Under_ immediately after, though.

The popcorn popper may have sounded like a geriatric jet turbine while in operation, but Connie had to admit it made really fluffy popcorn.

Around the time Bernard and Miss Bianca were wrapping up another successful rescue, Peridot emerged from her room and gave Connie her new glasses. It could be coincidence but Connie thought the new pair looked exceptionally similar to the visor-as-glasses that Peridot had reformed with just over two months ago. Regardless, the view was clear and the glasses did a fine job keeping salty popcorn from hitting Connie in the eye whenever one of Lapis' tosses were high, which meant they were a success.

The day slid by. Lapis and Peridot eventually wandered off to do their own things. Jasper came home from patrol and parked herself on the couch to read the fifth book of _The Codex Alera_ series. Connie would need to refresh herself on the novel before the next meeting of their shared book club, The Warriors of Literacy, but she'd already read the Jim Butcher series and could afford to skim.

Besides, as seven o'clock became less and less distant, the knot in Connie's stomach grew heavier and heavier. She doubted she'd even be able to successfully skim. By six o'clock Connie was laying on her belly on her bed, ostensibly doing her math homework, but the equations had quickly given way to doodles.

When a glance at her clock showed Priyanka would be there to pick her up in half an hour, something in Connie snapped. The girl did a backwards roll and sprang to her feet, then sprinted down the stairs.

"Jasper!" cried the girl, her hair in disarray from the tumble.

The Quartz warrior looked up from her book, her expression attentive, a single large finger marking her place.

"I need you to throw a bunch of rocks in the road nearby so cars can't get here," said the girl, her power sink transitioning colors almost continuously.

"Okay," Jasper said simply. As she calmly slid her bookmark into place, set the novel aside, and stood she asked, "Is there an objective?"

“I uh...” Connie scratched the back of her neck. “I agreed to go to dinner with Doug and Priyanka-”

“Who?”

“Dad's girlfriend.”

“Oh. That one.”

“Yeah. And I... kinda decided I don’t wanna go.”

Jasper nodded, seeing nothing objectionable about the situation.

She left the house and Connie finally breathed a sigh of relief.

 _Crisis averted,_ she thought.

* * *

_* CoMa - 07:13pm | Despite everything, my dad's girlfriend is here to pick me up for the 'family' dinner. I REALLY don't feel like eating. Wish me luck._

Connie sent the message to her long-silent Destiny Partner even as she heard footsteps walking up the Beach House stairs.

At five minutes 'til, Priyanka had called Connie to let her know there was an issue but that she'd be there. Despite Connie's polite assurances that it wasn't necessary, Priyanka was tenacious. She was like an unstoppable force in sensible shoes.

"Connie!" Priyanka said as the door swung open. "Oh, thank goodness you're alright. The road here had rocks all over it. I was worried there’d been a rockslide or that something happened and you might be hurt."

She was dressed nicely, wearing a maroon blouse and dress pants, with practical-yet-tasteful flats. Connie thought she caught the glint of earrings as well amidst the doctor’s dark hair.

“Oh...” Connie laughed nervously. “No, it um... it might have just been caused by a gem monster from earlier or something, hehe. Right, Jasper?”

Jasper laid her book face down across a knee and looked straight at Priyanka.

“A corrupted gem did it, yes,” Jasper said, scratching her left arm through the sleeve.

"Then let's hurry back to my car, Connie, before it shows back up. I parked as near as I could get," said Priyanka, her breathing still a little fast, though whether from concern or the stairs was unclear.

Jasper caught Connie's eye, her expression expectant. Connie gave the tiniest shake of her head before stopping to slip on her shoes. She wasn't sure what exactly Jasper would have done if she had nodded 'yes', but she figured the ruse had gone far enough already.

Connie gave a small wave to Jasper, the gem nodding minutely in response. Priyanka did the same, the gem turned back to her novel. Then the pair set out, the doctor sparing the occasional, nervous glance around as they went.

* * *

Connie was about to climb into the passenger seat of Priyanka's white luxury sedan when the doctor said, "You should ride in the middle of the backseat, as it's the safest place in the car. That's why car seats are supposed to go there." Priyanka slid into the driver's seat, a slight scowl on her face as she added, "Not that you'd know that from the way most people look after their kids."

 _I'm not a baby and I'm not your kid,_ thought Connie, a scowl to match Priyanka's crossing her features.

Climbing into the backseat, Connie paused and took a deep breath, willing her hackles to lower. She buckled herself in --middle seat; she didn't want to antagonize the doctor-- and searched the confines of the car for a topic of conversation. The sedan was meticulously clean, completely devoid of clutter or ornamentation.

"This is a nice car," she said, inwardly wincing at her clumsy conversational skills.

Priyanka finished adjusting the rearview mirror and checking the sides. Connie was uncertain if she was a really fastidious driver or still nervous about the whole 'corrupted gem' thing. Could be either.

"It's leased," explained the doctor. "The only things I own in this car are the first aid kit in the trunk and the gas in the tank."

An awkward silence stretched out as the car pulled forward, weaving around the least of the rocks scattered across the road.

Connie saw Priyanka eye her in the rearview mirror, her expression softening. "So, how have you been?"

"Um, fine, I guess," replied Connie, her thoughts becoming stormy as she recalled how she'd actually been.

The quiet drew Connie back out of herself and she asked, "How are things in... Crossroad?" hesitating at the city name at the end.

"Crossroad **s** , plural, and it's going well," corrected Priyanka. "The hospital renovations are just about finished in the department I work in, though I swear more than half of the light switches shock you when you touch them. Why they'd choose to skimp on the _wiring_ in a million-dollar overhaul is beyond me," she added.

"Anti-static mats will work," said Connie.

Priyanka stole a puzzled glance at the girl via the rearview mirror, her eyes never leaving the road for long. "I'm sorry, what?"

Connie stared out the rear passenger window, her mind's eye cast back to the days following the _eventful_ beach party. "If the switches are zapping you, standing on better insulation will help. There are mats that work for that; Peridot has a ton of them. Literally. We even had the idea of cutting one of them up to make inserts I could slide into my shoes. That worked pretty well."

The doctor's eyes frowned slightly. "Is the wiring in your house-"

Connie cut her off with a headshake. "No. It was a problem after my electricity powers showed up." She looked at Priyanka as directly as one could from the backseat. "That won't be an issue tonight, by the way. This keeps me from, uh, accidentally shocking anyone or causing a power surge," she said, lifting her power sink up and wiggling it slightly so Priyanka would see it.

There was another silence as the eyes in the rearview mirror stared at her necklace. Or her gemstone. Or her. Connie felt the anxiety that was always present in her gut beginning to stir.

Priyanka shook her head. "I'm sorry. I forget sometimes how different your life must be. Most of the time you just seem like a n-" Whatever she was about to say was cut off as Priyanka thought better of it. Instead she cleared her throat and said, "Insulated insoles are a good idea. I'll have to try some."

 _Like a normal little girl?_ Connie thought, the mental words dripping acid. Unseen in the backseat, her hands balled into fists.

The sedan drove quietly past familiar shops and houses. They had to wait at a turn for awhile as Onion and a quartet of other children Connie didn't recognize --one of which was wearing a pot on their head-- pushed a red soapbox derby car across the street.

“Are you hungry?” Priyanka asked as a dark-skinned boy in a baseball cap chased after a wheel that had fallen off the ramshackle racer.

“Kinda.”

“I think you’ll like what I made.” Priyanka smiled as her eyes watched the parentless mob of children attempt cart repair. “It should be a nice meal.”

“Hm.”

Another pause. Connie coughed.

The doctor grimaced for a moment then gave an uneasy smile. “You know, I’m glad you decided to come,” Priyanka said. “I’ve really been wanting a chance to talk with you.”

“About what?” Connie asked, her responses deliberately terse.

Priyanka shrugged. “Well... anything really. I’d love to get to know you better. Doug’s told me a lot about you but... well, it’d be nice hear more first-hand.” Priyanka gave a smile. “You know, I was always a little sad I never had a daughter. I've had to learn so much that I wish someone had taught me when I was a little girl.”

There was a part of Connie fully aware this was the wrong thing to say, or at the very least this wasn’t going to make getting through this dinner any easier. That part was overridden by the rest of her: the parts that were thinking about Citrine, the parts that were emotionally exhausted from a trying couple of weeks, the parts of her that were still angry about the doctor's previous gaffe, and, most of all, the parts of her that resented the way Priyanka complicated the ongoing reunion she and her dad were trying to have.

“I’m _not_ your little girl,” Connie snapped.

Priyanka’s eyes were wide for a second. Rather than glare back or offer some kind of rebuke, Priyanka simply stared ahead. The silence was heavy.

Onion’s gang, meanwhile, managed to get their cart mobile once more, clearing the intersection. The baby strapped to one kid’s back made an obscene gesture as they departed.

“You’re right,” Priyanka said softly. “I’m sorry.”

Connie glanced up. Priyanka didn’t meet her eyes.

Connie felt a dull pain in her chest. 

_Great,_ she thought. _Now I’m the bad guy. I'm mad at her for making me mad at myself, which makes me feel even_ worse. _This... ugh, Steven's better at this sort of thing,_ she thought glumly, arms folded across her chest.

The silence stretched on, Connie's guilt over her harsh remark growing. She was about to open her mouth, attempt some sort of apology, but a surge of embarrassment made her reconsider.

After a three minute eternity, Priyanka said, “We should be at your dad’s soon.”

“Y-yeah,” Connie said. “Okay...”

The rest of the car ride was completely silent.

* * *

Connie greeted her dad with an enthusiasm and a gratitude that was entirely sincere. If Connie was any judge, Priyanka's response was the same, if tempered. After a few polite words, the doctor left for the kitchen to check on the food.

Connie noticed the first thing Priyanka did was retrieve a wine glass from a cabinet and pour herself a modest amount of red wine. Doug noticed this too, an eyebrow raised, though he made a point of turning back to Connie and patting the seat next to him in invitation.

"I can't help but notice a certain someone is wearing new glasses," he said, reaching forward and gently tapping Connie on the nose. "They look nice. Kinda familiar though."

Connie giggled and waved his hand away. "You noticed that too? With Peridot I don't know if it's because making this shape is easier with her own glasses as a model or if she wants us to be lensies twinsies." 

Doug scratched his chin. "I wish I had some deep insights to share, but ever since Peridot came back without the visor, we’ve entered uncharted territory." He sat back in his seat, taking a sip of his water, before saying, "However, and I understand this might sound radical, have you considered _asking_ her? She's going to leave that room of hers eventually."

Connie rolled her eyes, an easy laugh escaping her lips. "Oh, that's no trouble. I've been able to open the temple door ever since I-"

Doug stared at Connie expectantly. Connie's expression shifted across an impressive range of emotions before settling on reluctance, her hands held tightly in her lap.

Her dad gave her a sympathetic look. "Lemonade?" he asked, preparing to get up.

"Lemonade," she replied.

Connie picked up a polished fork and played with the tines while her dad stepped into the kitchen, muffled conversation happening within. Now that she stopped to soak in the details, the table settings were _really_ nice. Admittedly she and her dad had had less than two months to share meals in his new apartment, but none of them had nearly so much attention paid to presentation.

 _Didn't dad say something about her trying to impress us?_ thought Connie, the lump of guilt and bitterness in her stomach reminding her it was still there.

Doug came back, two glasses of cool yellow citrus in hand. Passing one to Connie he said, "So what's the dill, pickle?"

Connie rolled her eyes over the rim of her glass as she took a sip. Wiping her mouth with her ( _fancy_ ) napkin, she cleared her throat and said, "I accidentally opened mom's room a couple days ago. It was after that that I figured out how to operate the temple door."

Doug looked at Connie "Oh," he said. He took a sip, his eyes drifting up and staring into the middle distance. "Oooh." He reached forward with his free hand and gave Connie's a squeeze.

"Yeah. I went in there all excited, expecting some sort of message. How to make my powers work. Anything I need to be careful about with the whole 'ancient war' thing. That..." Connie took a mouthful of lemonade and swallowed it loudly. "That she loved me." Connie shrank noticeably as the low words escaped her lips.

Doug noisily scooted his chair over and pulled Connie into a side hug, his arms wrapping tightly around her. "I don't know a lot about those first two things but I can say with certainty that, even though she would never meet her, she loved the little girl she was going to have. I can say that if she were here today watching you, she'd want nothing more than to spend time with you, talk to you, and be there to help you make the right choices."

Connie leaned into the hug, basking in her dad's assurances. Movement in the corner of her eye caught her attention: Priyanka was leaning against the kitchen doorjamb, watching Connie from across the room, wearing a half-smile and an expression that was equal parts happy and wistful. 

"Dinner's ready," Priyanka said just barely loud enough to carry across the room.

Connie wriggled out of her dad's grasp, not hearing a word of whatever her dad said in response. Connie tipped her head back and downed the rest of her lemonade in a single long drink. Across the room, Priyanka did the same with her wine.

* * *

The table was arranged just so. Connie was no stranger to table manners, but actual _etiquette_ was one of those normal person things that she'd never learned.

Doug and Priyanka seemed to know exactly what they were doing. Connie shrunk down in her seat.

Furthermore, her dad was helping Priyanka get all the food transferred to serving dishes, placed on the table, and seeing that everyone had a glass of some kind of weird, thick, greenish-white drink. He and Priyanka were constantly going to and from the kitchen and _they were flirting_ as they did it.

It actually reminded Connie of the Universes when they were hosting her for dinner. On Greg and Mary it was kinda sweet, at least as much as adults being all gross and kissy could be. With Doug and Priyanka, it was every kind of awful. There was no way she was going to make it through this dinner. Why had she even agreed to come?

 _Oh right, dad tricked me into it and then Priyanka was too stubborn to stay away from the Beach House,_ thought Connie with a scowl, her arms crossing.

There was a giggle from the kitchen and Connie headdesked against the table, making the meticulously arranged tablesettings rattle.

"Everything okay in there?" called Doug.

"Yeah, I, uh, just banged my leg on the table accidentally," replied Connie, making every effort to swallow down the many _other_ responses that came to mind.

Priyanka peered out from the kitchen, her expression one of mild concern. "That's a heavy table. Do you need some ice?"

_What I need is an escape route._

With great self-restraint Connie managed a weak smile and said, "Heh, no. I'm fine. Uh, thanks though."

The doctor's gaze lingered on her for a moment longer before she disappeared back into the kitchen. Then the flirting resumed.

Connie decided to go hide in the bathroom until everyone was ready to eat. Maybe venting via text to Steven, even if he wasn't responding, would help settle the feelings roiling in her stomach. After all, if she puked _before_ the meal, she couldn't claim food poisoning and leave early.

* * *

Basmati rice, seasoned with cumin and tumeric, garlic naan bread ("As close to homemade as I can make in this apartment"), sweet mint lassi ("It's kind of like a milkshake but spiced and with yogurt instead of ice cream"), and butter chicken.

Connie eyed the reddish-orange dish of chicken and mild curry uncertainly. "Butter chicken was my favorite meal when I was your age," said Priyanka after confirming a final time that Connie didn't suffer from a nut allergy.

"It smells delicious, Pri," said Doug, all smiles as he leaned over and pecked Priyanka on the cheek.

The lump in Connie's stomach grew noticeably heavier at that. That Priyanka shot Connie an apologetic look only made the conflicting emotions worse.

Taking a long, calming breath, Connie managed a smile she hoped looked earnest, lifted her strange, mint-smelling beverage, and met her dad's gaze.

Toasting in Tamil, they clinked their glasses and said, "Nanraaga saappidunkal!" [Enjoy the meal!]

Priyanka looked from one Maheswaran to the other, confusion writ across her face.

Connie noticed that, a spark of mischief flaring inside her. She caught her dad smiling at her as he placed the fancy napkin in his lap. She sighed inwardly. _I should be nice. For him,_ and she tamped down on that urge to metaphorically tweak the doctor's nose.

"How has your week been, Connie?" asked Priyanka as she ladled curry over her rice.

_Frustrating. Disappointing. Differently awful from last week._

"Fine."

"Your dad mentioned something about you finding an old storage room in the Beach House?" she probed.

Connie shot her dad a surreptitious look of betrayal. Bad enough he had her on speaker phone earlier, but he was telling Priyanka about this new stuff about _mom_?!

Doug had turned to face Priyanka and missed the look. "Not exactly. Each of the gems have a room inside the temple. Citrine's has been locked since Connie was born. Connie managed to unlock it."

 _Hey! It was more meaningful than that!_ she silently objected, before amending with, _Well, it could have been._ She drooped a little. _It should have been._

Priyanka looked a little perplexed as she address Connie. "Did you find a spare key somewhere?"

Connie suppressed a sigh. "It's a bit more, uh, magical than that. You have to use your gemstone to open the temple door. It's kind of a big deal for me."

"I see," said the doctor ( _No you don't!_ ). "What did you find inside? Anything exciting?"

Connie flinched. She couldn't help it. She knew Doctor Kurunthottical probably didn't mean to, but she'd just poked Connie in the emotional equivalent of an open wound. With salt on her fingers.

_No! I didn't! There was nothing in there but junk and pillows and weird color journals! Is that what you wanted to hear?! That my mom didn't care? That there's this big hole in dad's and my life that you can weasel into?!_

Connie took a shuddering breath, physically swallowing as she tried to keep that angry lump in her stomach from coming up. When she was able to focus past herself she saw the others looking concerned at her. Connie opened her mouth to speak and nothing came out.

 _Run? Can't run. Fight? Can't fight. Well, shouldn't fight._ Addressing the whole of herself, Connie thought, _Is... is there a third option? Anything?!_

That spark of mischief she'd suppressed earlier flared back up.

"Sorry about that," said Connie, a sly smile settling on her face. "There was just so much amazing stuff in there I needed to think about it for a second. Mom's room has artifacts from across the millennia, some diaries that were really informative, plus a lot of mementos from a vacation she took with dad, I think. Hawaii, right?" she asked.

Doug nodded, looking momentarily nostalgic.

Priyanka looked at Connie with a hint of uncertainty but said, "Oh. That's good. I'm sure you were happy to learn more about her."

It was all Connie could do not to glare at her for that. Instead, turning back to her dad and speaking in Tamil, she poked her food and asked, "[Have you had this before?]"

"[Butter chicken? Yeah, there was a strip mall Indian place in Charm City I used to eat at sometimes that had it. Of course, that place was about as authentically Indian as a feather headdress,]" answered Doug.

Connie took a sip of the lassi and made a face. "[This is supposed to be sweet?! Are you sure she isn't a dentist instead?]"

A laugh escaped Doug, his grin widening even further. He was about to say more to Connie when Priyanka cleared her throat. She had a smile on her face that failed to reach her eyes, a fact which made that spark of mischief blaze brighter.

Doug's grin narrowed as he seemed to remember Priyanka was seated nearby. Reacquiring what Connie called his 'adult face,' he said, "Uh, Priyanka speaks Hindi, not Tamil. She's from a different region of India than where my parents came from, and the food there is delicious... once you get used to it."

Connie smiled widely at her dad. "Sure, with enough [garam masala dumped on it.]"

Doug tried to hold back a laugh and snorted instead.

Despite her quip to her dad, the butter chicken wasn't actually bad, just... different. If she were eating at Mary's table, Greg and Steven cracking jokes while Connie sampled the new flavors, she could see herself enjoying it. Here, now, though, it was an unwelcomed addition at her dad’s dining room table.

Doug hurriedly cleared his throat, addressing Connie. "So, Pri was telling me earlier about an intern at the hospital who is only a few years older than you. Isn’t that right, Pri?"

Priyanka's controlled smile became more genuine with the conversational shift. "Yes, there's a prodigy who's still in her mid-teens attending medical school. She's actually the daughter of a colleague of mine. Last month she started volunteering in my department."

Connie had to admit, though certainly not out loud, that the naan bread was pretty tasty. The others were clearly waiting for her response, so she set the remainder of her piece down, wiped her mouth, and said, "So she's, like, sixteen and studying to be a doctor in the big hospital over in Crossroads?"

"She's volunteering as a precursor to her residency, but otherwise, yes," answer Priyanka.

"Huh," drawled Connie, "Because I'm thirteen and I've been training to keep the people of Beach City from having to go to the big hospital over in Crossroads." She took another nibble of naan bread and added, "I fought my first monster when I was twelve. Do you have to be a teen first before it counts?"

Doug swallowed in a way that had nothing to do with eating. Priyanka was looking as if she'd felt the slap but still couldn't see who had done it. The latent guilt churning in Connie threatened to topple her emotional composure. Fleeing from that sensation, Connie dove headlong into the feelings of rebelliousness she'd earlier mistook for mischief.

"Anyway, it's pretty cool that she's going to be a doctor like her mom," Connie continued, her tone casual. She sipped the mint lassi and found it made for a nice contrast with the savory garlic naan. "I mean, being a doctor is pretty neat when you think about it."

Priyanka and Doug relaxed slightly. Connie, meanwhile, had to pause long enough to get another drink of that lassi while the naan flavor was still fresh on her tastebuds. "Of course, being the leader of a rebellion that overthrew a totalitarian regime and saved all organic life on the planet is pretty neat too. I guess we just have different moms to follow after," said Connie, staring Priyanka in the eyes.

Without realizing it, she dipped some of the naan bread in the curry surrounding her butter chicken and took a bite. Connie's eyebrows jumped up at that pleasant discovery even as Priyanka's furrowed into a scowl.

"Yes, your father has told me quite a bit about your mother," said Priyanka, her voice unusually flat. "She was quite the woman."

Connie shrugged. "She wasn't so much a woman as an immortal demigoddess. Oh, and she and daddy met at a rock concert." Somehow Connie's hand had found its way to gripping Doug's forearm.

Priyanka arched a single eyebrow, her head slowly turning to face Doug. "A rock concert?"

"Oh, uh, see my roommate had dragged me-" 

Doug was only allowed to speak as long as it took Connie to finish off a bite of butter chicken. "Yeah, that was just before she went to use her considerable magical powers to keep an unkillable and ancient monstrosity from waking."

Priyanka crossed her arms. "Now you're just making things up."

She and Connie glared at one another across the table.

In a timid voice, Doug broke the silence. "No that's... technically correct."

Priyanka made an exasperated noise even as she passed the basket of naan bread closer to Connie. "Of course it is."

Connie took a piece, two pieces, several pieces of naan bread from the proffered basket. She laid a piece of butter chicken on one and ate it like toast. It was so terrible she had to finish off the piece in two more quick bites.

With Connie's mouth full, Priyanka used the opportunity to say, "Doug, did Connie tell you that there was a rockslide by the Beach House? Something to do with a feral monster lurking around."

"What?! Really? Have Jasper and the others tracked it down yet?" asked Doug, surprise and worry warring for dominance.

Connie swallowed heavily, drinking a full quarter of her tall glass of lassi before speaking. "Uh, Jasper has a really good idea what the gem is that's responsible. I don't think it'll be a problem again," she said, choosing her words carefully.

"The road was a ruin. I almost couldn't pick Connie up at all," pressed Priyanka.

"Maybe you shouldn't have," said Connie, all pretense of restraint forgotten.

"Forgive me for wanting to extend a gesture of goodwill to you," snarked Priyanka. "I know you're busy being a child soldier, I mean _prodigy_ , but even magical super women have to eat."

"Actually, they don't," said Doug in a quiet voice, looking between girlfriend and daughter like a bewildered tennis spectator.

Priyanka looked at Doug sharply, her eyes angry. "But Lapis- And Peridot has a garden?! She even talked my ear off one time, sounding like every nutritionist I've ever been cornered by put together."

Doug opened his mouth to speak but Connie beat him to it. "Gems don't eat unless they're doing it for fun. He knows that, I knew that, probably everyone in Beach City knows that. [Why don't you?]" she finished in Tamil.

Priyanka’s mouth curled into a snarl, her mouth opening to speak. Then she caught herself, her expression going calm, her hand moving to pinch the bridge of her nose. In a deliberately mild voice she said, "Okay, I think I understand what this is about. Connie, I'm not going to take your father away from you, you do know that right?"

Connie was thrown by that. If Priyanka had been angrier, said something more that was wrong about Connie's life... But she had to go and be all calm and reasonable about it.

Churning in Connie's gut was that lump that had been plaguing her all evening. It was the guilt and anxiety and resentment that Doctor Kurunthottical's visits always made Connie swallow down. Here, now, she stopped holding it back.

"I'm not worried I'll lose my dad," she said pointing to Doug, her voice with a raw edge to it. "But there's only one mom I want and _you're not her!_ " she said loudly, one hand braced against the table while the other was raised to her gemstone. 

It was clear the remark stung at Priyanka. Connie felt… mixed about that. But Priyanka looked at her with a sympathetic expression and that set Connie off all over again.

"Dad finally moves home but you come with him. It's not fair!" she railed. "Why are you here?!"

"Connie!" exclaimed Doug, moving to Priyanka's defense.

Priyanka put her hand on Doug's arm, wordlessly asking him to stand down. With the mix of patience and tenacity that characterized many of Priyanka's interactions with the Crystal Gems, she leaned forward and said, "Whether you want me in your life is one thing. I'll gladly meet you halfway, but I won't try to force you into accepting me. However, neither you nor Jasper get to tell me to leave. He does or I do. That's it."

A small part of Connie considered relenting. Doubling down didn't seem to be working and when she stopped to think about it- 

That part was silenced; she didn't want to stop and she _certainly_ didn't want to think about it.

"Then I'll go instead!" roared Connie after the briefest of pauses, the girl stepping clear of the table. Turning briskly, she marched over, pushed the door open with a bang, and stormed through.

That she was still holding onto her plate of food was surely a coincidence.

Doug jumped to his feet and began chasing after his daughter. "Connie! Where do you think you're going?!"

Suddenly a yellow square of force sprang into existence, less than an inch-wide gap between it and the open doorway.

Doug looked surprised for a second and then angrily hammered on the field. "CONNIE?! THIS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE BEHAVIOR!"

There was a pause followed by a voice, obscured by the field, that said, "... I actually am sorry about the force field. That was more of an impulse thing."

Doug took a breath and straightened up. "Good. Now, remove this at once."

The voice from down the breezeway said, "I can't. It just sorta goes away on its own after a couple of minutes. Sorry for- Um, I'm sorry. But I really am leaving now." With that Connie descended the steps and walked home.

* * *

The first thing Connie did upon getting home was set the then-empty plate in the sink and scrawl a note about making sure it was returned to her dad. Then she threw herself into the corner of the couch, arms wrapped around her knees. 

Jasper, still sitting in her usual spot at the end of the couch, carefully marked her place in her book with a single large finger. "Something wrong?" she asked, her gruff voice level.

Connie was slow answering but Jasper had patience to spare. When she did speak, she did so with only her eyes and hair visible above the tops of her knees. "Why can't things ever be the way they're supposed to be?"

Jasper considered the question for a long moment. "Life on Earth is complicated."

"Does it have to be?" Connie pleaded.

The warrior flipped the book over so that it was face down and open across one of her legs. Both hands free, she gave an expansive shrug. "When I was serving the Diamonds life was pretty simple. Ever since then? Not so much."

Connie thought about this from behind the barrier of her legs. Unfortunately, the only thing the corners of her mind were willing to agree upon was that she needed to get Peridot a recipe for butter chicken.

"Choice, too," said Jasper a while later, pulling Connie from the mental-equivalent of pacing in circles.

"Huh?"

"People have the right to choose. Citrine made sure. Sometimes people choose wrong. Sometimes they don't know what they want." She shrugged again. "Makes life complicated."

Connie's brows furrowed. "What do you do when someone is making the wrong choice?"

"Did you tell them they were wrong?"

"Yeah."

"Then you wait. They'll figure it out. Or they won't." The Quartz flipped her book back over. Before she lifted it up to reading height, she glanced back at Connie. "It sometimes helps to make sure you're right about them being wrong." With that she looked down and resumed her reading.

A minute later a soft voice from the corner of the couch asked, "And if you're not sure?"

Jasper calmly slid her bookmark into place and set the novel aside. "You'll figure it out. Patrolling helps me think. Helps me not think too. Multipurpose. You want to go on a patrol with me?" she offered, rising to her feet.

Connie slowly uncurled. She gave the warrior a curt nod and began mentally cataloguing what she should pack. It felt good turning her attention to something practical and uncomplicated.

A few minutes later and they were heading towards the warp pad, when Jasper halted mid-stride. "I told Peridot about your dinner. She didn't make you anything. I can cook you some grilled cheese sandwiches to bring."

Connie shoulders hung a little but she shook her head. "No, I, uh, I had a pretty good meal already. Sorta. But thanks."

Jasper nodded. They stepped onto the warp pad and then, in a flash of light, they were gone.

* * *

During the day Connie had made her first force field, she and Steven had been been on Yellowtail's boat. Yellowtail and Onion had gone below deck to do fisherman stuff, leaving him and Connie sitting there, back-to-back and leaning against one another relaxing. It had been sunny and the ocean breeze had been nice and they'd just had fun playing with that neat red seaweed and Connie had told him weeks later that she'd felt truly peaceful in that moment.

Sitting on the picnic blanket at the top of the big hill in Lighthouse Park, leaning back-to-back while the sun warmed them and the breeze cooled them, it was kind of like that time on the boat all over again.

Hopefully the worm monster didn't show up this time.

Connie was resting the back of her head in the crook between Steven's right shoulder and his neck. He had to hunch down a little because of the height difference between them and her hair tickled his ear and every time she moved the hearing aid on that side made a bunch of scratching sounds as she brushed against the receiver. None of that mattered in the slightest, not while Connie was leaning against him like that. He wasn't moving for anything.

 _Well, maybe if I had to run away from that worm monster again,_ he amended.

More time passed and eventually Steven felt like, as much as he really wanted to support Connie, maybe he should do it with more than just his shoulder.

"Did going on patrol help?" he asked softly.

Connie stirred. In one ear he heard, "Yeah, a little." In the other he heard, " _kshkshkshkThumpksh_ -tle."

"Have... Have you talked to your dad since then?" Steven's inner roller coaster had been on a kind of slow, lazy rise during the earlier snuggly quiet but he could feel it start to tilt forward like a drop was approaching.

"Yes but... not about that. And that was later," she said, her voice weary. Steven's roller coaster got noticeably steeper at that. "That night I texted him to let him know I was safe and to tell Priyanka I was sorry for shouting at her. The next day he asked if I wanted to meet somewhere and talk, but I said 'not yet.'"

"Were you? Sorry, I mean."

"Yes?" she said without conviction. "I am and I'm not at the same time, if that makes any sense."

Steven nodded. The motion must have tickled Connie because she made a little giggle (the coaster jolted in a brief climb...) and pulled away entirely (...before plunging). 

He scooted around on the blanket so that he could face her. Her eyes were tired, her lips making a thin line. 

He quirked a sympathetic half-smile and said, "Yeah. It's like that with my ears. Oh, I mean my actual ears, not the hearing aids. Like, I've been deaf my whole life and things are pretty good, so it's not like I'm sad about it. Plus, there's all these friends and jokes and neat things I know because of being deaf. During our trip to Empire City we met a friend of mine from my old school, Neimaat, and she's like me too. We saw a performance of Beethoven's Nightmare --they're a band entirely of deaf musicians-- and it was a lot of fun. Oh, she says 'hi' by the way."

For a second Connie had that look when she was asked to share the last donut and she didn't really want to, but she did it anyway. Then she managed a weak smile and said, "Uh, I guess tell her 'hi' back for me. But what was that about your ears?"

Steven blinked, his inner coaster wobbling on uncertain tracks. "Oh, right. So I've always thought I was bad at music because, well, it's hard to hear and mom and dad are always grooving on music, it's _always_ playing at home and I look at them and I know they're experiencing stuff I'm not. But then I saw this concert with deaf musicians playing and Neimaat has gotten really good at the trumpet since we were in school together and I think maybe it's not my ears, it's me. So, like, I'm happy being who I am but also not, and I think music would be easier if I could hear but maybe it wouldn't because I'd still be me, ears or no."

Connie nodded, then stared at the ground, her expression thoughtful. She was chewing on her cheek. 

After a while she took a deep breath and met Steven's eyes, his inner coaster doing corkscrews. "That's... yeah, I think I understand. Like, _really_ understand. Um, I have one more story to tell you about, actually." Her hand went to the pocket containing her broken glasses.

Steven nodded, his attention fixed completely on Connie.

"Two days ago, Lapis got cracked."

Steven rocked, his inner coaster in free fall. His eyes must have been huge because he felt his eyebrows brushing against a loose curl.

Connie held up her hands, adding hurriedly, "She got better. But, well, it’s a long story..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We didn't explicitly set out to schedule this chapter on the eve of Thanksgiving, but it sure works out nicely that it was. All of us on the Connie Swap Team are thankful for our fine readers, doubly so for those who leave their thoughts in the comments and Discord. We're also thankful for our fellow fanfic writers and fanart artists who produce so much excellent content for us to enjoy. Happy Thanksgiving from all of us to all of you guys.
> 
> * * *
> 
> The art for this chapter came from BurdenKing.
> 
> Neimaat and several other details from Steven’s dialogue are borrowed from the exceptional fic [Self](http://archiveofourown.org/works/10843554/chapters/24803184) by the delightful [citrusella](http://archiveofourown.org/users/citrusella/pseuds/citrusella). Between this chapter and the canon omake, [Story of a Sidekick](https://archiveofourown.org/works/10673391/chapters/26264052), we’re effectively canonizing most of the 2nd chapter of _Self_. It's quite good and is worth reading above and beyond how it contributes to Connie Swap.
> 
> Tune in Wednesday, December 6th for the next chapter of _Loud and Clear_ : **Do Not Bob To Nod**.  
>     
> 
> 
> * * *
> 
> New omakes and rewrites to point out:  
> *) [Crossing Over - Chapter 3](https://archiveofourown.org/works/10673391/chapters/29037417) by TexasAndroid - "Connie, Steven, and the Crystal Gems of Connie’s world try to find a way to send Steven back to his."  
> *) [Crossing Over - Chapter 4](https://archiveofourown.org/works/10673391/chapters/29188614) by TexasAndroid - “The grand finale of Crossing Over.” **Contains original art by MjStudioArts**  
>  *) [What if Connie's life was a television show and someone wrote a fanfiction swapping her with Steven and different Crystal Gems?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12265302/chapters/29037333) by [br42](http://archiveofourown.org/users/br42/pseuds/br42) \- A new addition to Peridot’s What-If Machine Collection.  
> *) [Connie Swap Episode 2: ...Yet so far - Chapter 1 (Something Great)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/9559703/chapters/21613934) by [br42](http://archiveofourown.org/users/br42/pseuds/br42), [BurdenKing](http://archiveofourown.org/users/BurdenKing/pseuds/BurdenKing), [MJStudioArts](http://archiveofourown.org/users/MjStudioArts/pseuds/MjStudioArts) \- "When a menacing Red Eye is about to hit Beach City, Lapis deals with it handily with a tidal wave, clearing up the day for another adventure. The Crystal Gems later go to place the Moon Goddess Statue on top of the ruined Lunar Sea Spire, and Connie tries to prove that she can be useful on a mission." Note: Ep2Ch1 of Connie Swap has been rewritten by BR42 to match our Episode 3+ style and quality. Check it out for new jokes, new sweet moments, and the same great story all spruced up.
> 
> If you have a Connie Swap story burning in your soul that you want to see in our official, curated Omake collection, drop us a comment either in the Omake fic or here in the main fic and we'll get in touch.
> 
> Connie Swap has an official Discord for the fans. [Come check it out.](https://discord.gg/RQMDdhr)
> 
> As usual, we'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments and your asks at the [Connie Swap Tumblr](http://connieswap.tumblr.com/). Thanks for reading!


	5. Do Not Bob To Nod

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After you finish reading this chapter, there is a related omake story you might want to check out:  
> [Deleted Scenes - Ep16: Loud and Clear, Ch5: Do Not Bob To Nod](http://archiveofourown.org/works/10673391/chapters/29546148) by [br42](http://archiveofourown.org/users/br42/pseuds/br42), [BurdenKing](http://archiveofourown.org/users/BurdenKing/pseuds/BurdenKing), [CoreyWW](http://archiveofourown.org/users/CoreyWW/pseuds/CoreyWW), [MJStudioArts](http://archiveofourown.org/users/MjStudioArts/pseuds/MjStudioArts) \- "Alternate scenes including: Lapis and Connie play resulting in Lapis getting cracked, Lapis flees post-healing, Debriefing post-mission, Chapter ending with Steven and Connie"

"It's sad that it didn't work out but I'm glad you tried," said Sniffling Croissant before openly sobbing in sympathy for his friend. The literal stream of tears pouring from Glum Glass slowed slightly in response.

Connie hung over the edge of her bed, lying on her back with her hair spilling across the floor of the loft as she watched the upside down characters bawl on the television. She narrowed her eyes as she tried to see the show, one of Steven's favorites, from her friend's perspective. Metaphorically; he didn't, to Connie's knowledge, routinely watch _Crying Breakfast Friends!_ flipped 180 degrees.

_All I have to do is power through two more days and then Steven's family will be back from vacation. Besides, thinking about emotionally overwrought breakfast drama beats thinking about dad. Or mom. Or Priyanka, or the gem in that book I used to have, or Ame-_

Connie rubbed her eyes, telling herself it was just a sympathetic reaction to binge-watching this show, like yawning when you see someone else yawn.

_Besides, Glum Glass keeps trying and trying despite all her setbacks. She wants to make things better, instead of just crying about things. It's noble... in a poorly-animated sort of way. Still, I have to wonder if the writers for this show take some sort of sick amusement in putting her through so much. I kinda miss the earlier episodes, when things were simpler for her._

The crying onscreen ratcheted up a notch.

Not for the first time, Connie considered watching CBF on mute. Reading the subtitles upside down would be a little difficult until she remembered most of them would be variations of '[sounds of crying]'.

The sound of the warp pad chiming saved her from the dilemma. Rolling upright Connie saw Lapis stagger off the crystalline teleporter and topple to the floor in a tangle of blue limbs. 

“Lapis?! Are you alright?” The girl rose quickly and hurried down the loft stairs.

With Connie helping her up, the gem staggered slightly and leaned against the kitchen counter for support. For some reason, one of her hands was kept clenched shut in a fist.

Lapis turned to face the girl and gave a relieved smile. Connie recoiled, causing the smile to drop off the gem’s face. Thin, blue eyebrows furrowed over mirrored eyes as Connie gasped. "Lapis! Y-your eyes!"

Lapis squinted out of blank orbs for a second longer before twisting around and groping with one hand across her back like she was trying to scratch a hard to reach itch. Her expression then became one of resigned embarrassment. Turning to Connie with a weak smile she said, “I’m a fool; aloof am I.”

Before Connie could ask further questions, the gem turned revealing her teardrop-shaped gemstone, the seat of her consciousness, crisscrossed with a jagged crack.

Once again Connie gasped. Lapis shrugged and opened her palm to reveal a collection of sparkling blue fragments, some the size of broken glass, others a fine, sand-like powder. "No, I save on final perusal – a sure plan if no evasion."

Connie was pretty sure she was in some kind of shock. She'd seen the gems hurt, poofed even, but never cracked. Unable to really process this overwhelming development, she stumbled backwards a step, her voice quiet at first and then growing louder as she screamed, “Peridot. Peridot! PERIDOT!”

She ran over and hammered on the temple door before realizing how foolish that was. Her gem lit up and the door opened onto a room of scrap, sluggish lava flows, and the sparks cast off by whatever Peridot was doing over her workbench.

"Peridot! Lapis needs your help!" Connie shouted.

The technician looked up from Johnny's open chassis --the ersatz robonoid lying upside down on the workbench-- her glasses shifting from welding visor-dark to clear as she did so. Extending an arm overhead, five of Peridot's floating fingers spun to a blur, allowing the gem to helicopter out of her room and into the Beach House proper. 

A pair of floating fingers remained behind long enough to buckle Johnny into position like a baby on a changing table, before zipping out to rejoin Peridot. Johnny kicked its limbs feebly, unable to right itself. The temple door closed moments after the fingers soared through.

"I'm afraid the noise of my activity drowned out the specifics of your call," said Peridot, landing with a heavy thunk and walking the rest of the way over. "What seems to be the problem?"

Connie could only tug on Peridot’s limb enhancer and point, her mind still reeling. For her part, Lapis leaned against a kitchen stool. With her free hand she waved in Peridot's direction. "Yo, Aloha, Hola, Oy!"

Peridot saw the mirrored eyes and made a frightened squeak, quickly stepping forward to put herself between Connie and Lapis. "Stars! What happened?! How many oceans does the Earth still have?! Is Central America still an isthmus?!" she asked, her voice almost a shriek.

“A man, a plan, a canal. Panama,” Lapis said, wandering toward her window window seat and attempting to sit down, only to miss the target and land giggling on the floor beside.

Connie shook her head. The whole scene still felt surreal and that was making it hard for her to think clearly. Still, the memory of Lapis atop the Lunar Sea Spire, shouting and holding the encircling walls of water at bay, her eyes featureless mirrors, drifted into her mind. "Oh. Uh, it's not what you're thinking, ma'am. She's-"

"Cracked, isn't she?" finished Peridot with a sigh. “Any idea how?”

Connie could only nod and then shrug.

Speaking slowly, like a parent to a very young child, Peridot addressed Lapis, "Lapis Lazuli. I need you to come over here and turn around so I can inspect your gemstone."

Lapis sat down in her spot at the window seat, successfully this time, and crossed her arms. "Tis me gem. Sit."

She may have rolled her eyes as well but it was hard to tell.

“Ma’am... Why is she talking like that?” Connie asked, unnerved to the point that she couldn't seem to find a good place to put her hands.

Peridot, meanwhile, had approached Lapis and was attempting to get a clear view of the latter's gemstone. Lapis seemed to think this was a fun game and was smiling as she twisted and climbed the window seat, stymieing the Green gem's efforts.

"Since our gemstone is the repository for our mind and body alike, the damage there can result in both physical and mental symptoms. The physical would be the mi- Lapis! Stop this instant!" she huffed as the Blue gem continued to evade her.

Standing atop the windowsill, Lapis raised the closed hand to her mouth, unfolding it. With a puff, a shower of blue glitter sprayed into Peridot's face. "Party trap!" laughed Lapis before hopping down and running over toward the couch only to trip on the coffee table.

While Peridot was sputtering, floating fingers methodically brushing the blue particles from her face, there was the sound of the temple door opening. From the bright yellow backdrop of Citrine's room, Jasper stepped into the Beach House. Lapis staggered to her feet, her back to the warrior.

Jasper's eyes went wide. "Dirt and diamonds!" she swore before crossing the length of the house in an instant, swiftly scooping up Lapis in a bridal carry, the svelte gem seeming small in Jasper's thick arms.

She pivoted on Peridot --who had only just recovered her vision, her face still speckled blue-- and shouted, "We need to get her to the fountain _now!_ Is the crack spreading?! Peridot! How much time do we have?!"

If seeing Lapis cracked had unnerved Connie, seeing Jasper panicked made Connie feel like she'd stepped through the Looking Glass entirely.

 _Am I really sure I'm not still lying in bed, having a Crying Breakfast Friends-induced hallucination?_ At this point, that almost seemed preferable. 

Peridot made her way across the living room, the blue on her face momentarily ignored. "I'll know more once I've had a chance to examine the damage, but it doesn't appear to be immediately threatening. Sit on the couch and hold her upright so I can get a better view."

Jasper obeyed immediately, her expression as far removed from her default stoicism as Connie had ever seen it. The couch groaning with the sudden addition of her and Lapis' combined weight. 

Lapis, for her part, struggled feebly in Jasper's arms. “No sir, away! A papaya war is on!” she contested before going limp and making a long groan of frustration.

Peridot extended one limb enhancer forward and began scanning. Without looking away from the holographic display of the readouts, Peridot spoke. "As I was saying, dear, the physical effect would be the alteration to her cornea." 

It took Connie a moment to realize Peridot was continuing her explanation from before.

Peridot frowned at the display and had Jasper turn Lapis around to face her before resuming her scan. Lapis immediately began floofing Peridot's hair, which the technician did her best to ignore. "The mental effect of the crack appears to be akin to what human biology would call 'aphasia', as-"

"Pip," said Lapis before using her finger to draw a smiley face in the blue powder on Peridot's cheek.

Peridot cleared her throat pointedly, eyeing the incoming data. "-As Lapis seems only capable of communicating in mirrored sentences, or palindromes."

"Pip~ Pip~" continued Lapis in a singsong tone before floofing Peridot's hair again.

Peridot gave an expansive sigh. "Also, there's an overall decline in inhibitions, akin to a human inebriated on an excess of alco- Oh, knock it off!" she said, attempting to fend Lapis off with her free limb enhancer.

The scanning limb dinged. Peridot stepped out of Lapis' reach. "The cracked area is broad but the rate of spreading is minimal." She looked up at Jasper. "Keeping her from exerting herself will help."

Jasper nodded, her expression completely serious. For her part, Lapis grinned like a contented cat, leaning back into Jasper's embrace as though the gem were a chaise longue.

"Before we venture to the fountain," said Peridot, worry lines drawing at the corners of her eyes, "you're certain our stock of healing lacrimal essence is exhausted?"

Jasper stood carefully, cradling Lapis. "Slinker found the stash."

Peridot seemed to deflate. "Very well. Connie, I'll explain as we go, but I need you to ready yourself for an expedition. Temperate conditions. Anticipate hiking and being outside for one-to-two hours... hopefully," she said wearily.

"Hurry," added Jasper while Lapis repeatedly ran her fingers through a length of thick, white hair.

A dozen questions sprung to mind, but Connie only nodded, pushing off the stool she'd been leaning against and sprinting up the stairs to her loft.

While trying to unzip the mission pack she kept loaded with the essentials, Connie heard a kissy sound and then Lapis said, "Sex-aware era waxes." Connie's hand froze mid-motion and, against her better judgement, she turned to see what was going on below.

"Lapis!" squawked Peridot, scandalized.

"She was talking to me," muttered Jasper.

Lapis giggled and poked the large Quartz in her... upper torso. "Boob," she said, chuckling again.

"Oh. I see," said the Green gem. It was unclear if the color in her cheeks was due to the gem powder or not.

Eager to change the subject, Connie spoke a little louder than was strictly necessary, saying, "With Lapis not able to speak normally, how are we going to know who she's talking to?"

"Well-" Peridot began but Lapis cut her off.

"Pip," said Lapis, pointing at Peridot.

“Pardon?” said the technician.

“Pip. Pip,” and Lapis mimed wearing a pair of glasses, using her thumb and forefingers in ‘o’ shapes.

“Ah, I see,” answered the mimicked gem.

Sitting up, Jasper being quick to accommodate her, Lapis gestured to Connie. "Noon."

Connie glanced down, seeing her yellow gemstone. "That makes sense, I guess."

Lapis made a swirling, circular motion with her hands, a high-pitched noise escaping her lips. Tugging on Jasper's hair, Lapis said, "Racecar."

_Oh, because of the spin dash._

Finally, she jabbed both thumbs at herself and announced, "Bob."

One of Lapis' arm flickered for a second, all the fingers becoming thumbs. A beat later it shimmered like a glitched video game and returned to normal.

Jasper's eyebrows leapt up. "That's it. We move out now."

"But I'm still-" started Connie.

"Now!" barked Jasper, already halfway to the warp pad.

Connie and Peridot scrambled to follow.

* * *

The chime of the warp pad echoed, startling nearby birds into the sky.

Jasper stepped off the pad and onto soft grass, Lapis held carefully in her arms. Peridot and Connie were just behind them, the latter slowing down to drink in her surroundings.

The area was a strange mix of forest, jungle, and carefully-maintained park. Wide avenues of grass were hemmed in by rows of brambles while thorny vines as thick as tree trunks grew further back, arching up and tangling overhead to form an uneven canopy. The whole area was a patchwork of sun and shade, soft turf and long-thorned briars, order and disorder, all in hues of green.

The brambles stirred despite the absence of a breeze.

Connie only had a moment to look around before she realized Jasper was already striding forward. She and Peridot had to jog to catch up.

"Jasper! Slow yourself. I need to brief Connie and a headlong charge will only make our arrival that much more conspicuous," chided Peridot, her voice oddly quiet.

Jasper made a growl of frustration. Her shoulders remained tense but at least her pace relaxed.

"What is this place?" asked Connie, that feeling of being swept along by events, of having pulled an _Alice in Wonderland_ , was only heightened by these new surroundings.

Peridot made a shushing noise and then came over to Connie, her head swiveling about, constantly alert for… something, as they walked further into the grounds.

"An unpleasant reminder," rumbled Jasper. A nearby bramble snagged at her leg and she kicked it away with more force than was strictly needed. Lapis, oblivious, was draping some of Jasper's hair over herself like it were a fur coat.

Connie looked at Peridot, her expression questioning. "Ma'am?" she said, her voice wavering slightly.

Peridot gave a smile that failed to reach her eyes. "This is a site created by Rose Quartz, your mother's former Rebellion-era partner."

"The traitor..." Jasper growled.

Peridot shot Jasper another look, a floating finger raised to her lips, signaling for quiet. Turning back to Connie, she said, "Yes, but also a gem possessing immense healing powers. The fountain at the center of this location produces a fluid with similar, albeit weaker, properties."

Connie's eyes went wide. "There's a fountain that makes infinite healing water and we've never been here before?!" she said with as much intensity as she could pack into a whisper. "Why don't we have a big water cooler of the stuff? I'm surprised you haven't been mixing some in my food every morning."

Connie paused, replaying her own words in her head, then looked Peridot in the eyes. "You haven't, have you?"

Peridot made a placating gesture with her palm-equivalents. "No, of course not, dear. There'd be no point. While Rose Quartz could purportedly restore organic and inorganic matter both, the liquid from her fountain has no effect on organic life or inanimate objects. It's only useful for when a gem is cracked, a fortuitously rare occurrence. Why, if we had access to a limitless supply of panacea and did nothing while the rest of the world suffered, that'd be monstrously unethical," said the gem quietly.

"Okay, that explains a few things." Connie looked at the unnatural thicket that surrounded them. "But, uh, why are we having to whisper?"

"No garden, one dragon," said Lapis, raising herself to a seated position and resting her head contentedly against Jasper's... upper torso.

Peridot glared for a moment, tsking under her breath. Tearing her eyes away and back to Connie, the gem said, "There is a guardian, a custodian of sorts, who is frequently present. It would be very... complicating if we encountered them." Peridot glanced around nervously. "Your mother was especially adept at spotting them. I," she looked at Connie directly, "I know your eyesight is still imperfect, dear, but any edge we can maintain here could prove vital. Just... be your most vigilant," she said, her expression worried, almost pleading.

Connie gave a small nod, her cheeks flushing. She felt the sudden urge to clean the lenses of her glasses, but resisted it.

A pair of giggles, one lilting, the other deep, caused Peridot to whip her head around. "Jasper!" she whisper-shouted. "Comport yourself well or I shall convey her myself!"

Connie paid no attention to the others. Free of anyone looking at her, she wilted, hanging her head low even as she tried to maintain situational awareness.

Other than a tussle with the brambles --“Flee to me, remote elf,” was Lapis’ warning just before Connie found herself an inch away from being entangled-- and Peridot acting as a combination of chaperone and anger management coach for Jasper, the hike toward the fountain proceeded quietly. It seemed like the contrast of the area, manicured grounds and actively-aggressive brambles, only grew as they approached their destination.

Rounding a particularly dense thicket, Connie couldn't help but gasp.

The pink statue of a woman, the one she'd seen shielding her mom in the inverted pyramid's mural, stood atop a multi-tier fountain. Her arms were outstretched, palms out, her faced turned down, and an endless stream of water poured from her eyes. She was crying, unendingly; Connie couldn't help but be reminded of the show she'd been watching earlier that morning.

The statue stood atop a number of bowls which formed the top tier of the fountain. Rose's fountain. Light-pink crystals extended out of water pooling in the bowls, glistening in the dappled light that filtered in from the canopy.

It took Connie a moment to realize the bowls were meant to be the petals of a rose in bloom. There was even a pattern of large thorns extending up the central pillar that supported the fountain’s upper tier. The water of the statue’s tears spilled over the petals and collected into a large, square basin below. Four statuettes of the woman, _Rose Quartz_ , sat on the edge of the basin facing outward, one on each side like the points on a... compass _rose._

 _I think I'm picking up on a subtle theme here,_ drawled Connie’s inner snarker.

Everyone had stopped in their tracks when they'd spied the fountain. After a moment of shared awe, Jasper swung her head back and forth like a hound trying to catch a scent, her movements restless. Turning to face Connie and Peridot, she said in a low voice, "I'll douse Lapis. Peridot, restock our reserves. Connie, you're on watch. If we hurry, if we're lucky, then-"

There was a blur of motion, as though someone had descended from on high. "I won't be here," finished a voice that exuded casual confidence.

Four heads turned toward the fountain.

"Tell a mate, 'Go get a mallet!'" announced Lapis, reaching for the cylinder that would turn into her telescopic hammer.

Looking down at her empty hand, the inebriated gem not having brought the compact weapon, Lapis frowned. "Poop."

* * *

Connie had been different during each of her stories --dejected, sad, then frustrated-- and here she was angry. A little ways into the tale, the teen had stood and soon after that she'd begun pacing, her voice carrying a little further, her gestures, a little larger.

For the most part Steven had been unsure what to do. If he walked alongside her, it'd look silly. If he sat, she would loom over him which would make her feel self-conscious, like she was miss Peridot lecturing him. If he asked her to sit, she'd do it and feel bad for making him ask, and then she'd inevitably stand back up later, and then feel critical about _that_.

Steven had realized fairly quickly into their friendship that Connie was the sort of superhero who had a hard time seeing her own awesomeness.

He'd settled on standing a yard or so away from his friend, his expression alternately attentive and sympathetic. And through all the retellings he'd tried, tried, tried to do the hardest thing of all: keep quiet and not interrupt her mid-story.

"There's _another_ gem who isn't a monster?!" he blurted out.

Well, so much for that.

Connie turned to face him, a little surprised by the interruption though not offended. "Yeah. Her name is Garnet... sort of," she amended.

This time it was Steven who gesticulated wildly, his voice overloud. "But you already met Amethyst! And then there's the pearl in your book who is like, kinda okay but maybe not. It's too much!"

Connie almost retreated a step, one hand gripping her arm. "I- I don't think I understand what you mean, Steven."

"I mean you lived your whole life knowing that there were four normal gems, the Crystal Gems, and everything else was some kind of monster. But then you met Amethyst. And, like, two weeks later you meet this Garnet person. IS THE BOOK A PERSON TOO?!"

Connie stammered something in response but Steven wasn't finished. Pacing rapidly, the boy counted on his fingers as he ranted. "You learn to bubble, your reading buddy gets stolen, you unlock your mom's room, Lapis gets cracked, there’s a magical traitor fountain of healing, and you meet two normal gems when that's supposed to be impossible!"

"Technically, three gems. Garnet is... she's two. In one," said Connie meekly.

"SHE'S A FUSION?!" said Steven, his voice rising almost to a shriek.

His friend gave a curt nod, her eyes wide at his intensity.

Without realizing it, Steven was signing as he ranted. "IT'S TOO MUCH! It's destiny overload! What's next? Betrayal? A conspiracy? Some new super power?" Steven gasped, stopping in his tracks. "You didn't summon your sword, did you?!"

Connie sat down, her head low. "No."

Steven had been too riled up on Connie's behalf to pay much attention to his inner roller coaster, but now he felt it. Keenly. His stomach was in free fall.

Steven sat down across from her, his face a mix of sympathy and embarrassment. "Sorry. That was dumb of me."

Connie looked up at him and she actually smiled, really smiled, not just something sad or ironic. Steven felt a sickening lurch in the ride, but in the opposite direction. A part of him wanted to ask Connie to stay glum a little longer so he could avoid emotional whiplash.

"It's sweet, though," she said. "You're mad at my... destiny, I guess, for dropping too much on me all at once."

Steven nodded, unable to speak for a change.

She giggled. "I just realized this is the first time I've ever seen you angry before.” She reached across and gave his arm a squeeze. “You're such a good person, Steven."

More whiplash. But for this, he'd cope.

Slowly the smile slid off her face. "Well, it's not over yet. It... it kinda gets worse, actually. But, again... thanks." She drew a deep, settling breath, and squared her shoulders.

Steven's inner self could only clutch the sides of the cart and hang on. He promised himself that after this was all over, he'd go hide in his Blanket Fortress of Solitude until his insides could settle down. While petting Lion. Followed by a nap.

* * *

"Poop."

The unknown gem stared at the quartet impassively, her body in a state of relaxed preparation, her three(!) eyes half-lidded.

Connie caught a flash of red in the inside of one palm. _She's a Ruby?! That_ does not _fit anyone's description of a Ruby!_

"Hello Jasper. Lapis. Peridot. You're early." 

Craning around from Jasper's arms, Lapis gestured between Connie and the unknown gem. "Noon? Eye. Eye? Noon."

"Thank you, Lapis," replied… Eye. Lapis opened her mouth to speak when the gem smiled and amended, "Thank you, Bob." She shifted position slightly and Connie saw a flash of blue in the opposite palm.

_Wait, what? I... but she's not... So that means-_

"You're a fusion?!" Connie blurted out before immediately clapping her hands over her mouth.

There was a beat of silence followed by Lapis saying in a singsong voice, "Dr. Awkward~"

"I am," replied the... _gem? Gems?_ Replied the fusion. "And you are something new," she spoke, looking long at Connie. Every word out of her mouth until then had been calm, like she'd been discussing the weather. Here, she was curious.

"She's not your concern, apostate," growled Jasper, her body radiating hostility.

The fusion stared at Jasper silently for a time, as if having an internal discussion.

"For the moment. What's concerning now is this violation of Citrine’s treaty. One refill every hundred years. It hasn't quite been fourteen."

Through all this, Peridot had been drifting ever closer to Connie, as though preparing to step between the girl and the dangerous fusion standing idly next to the fountain. "Our supply was compromised by a corrupted scavenger and our compatriot is grievously injured."

The fusion allowed the silence to drag out.

Jasper growled again and advanced a step. "Are you going to try and stop us?"

“You never beat me before. This time won’t be different.”

"I never really lost to you either. This? Something else entirely," challenged the warrior. "Step aside, apostate."

The fusion looked at her, arms crossed.

“O, stone! Be not so!” Lapis cried out dramatically, then chuckled and leaned her head against Jasper's chest.

The fusion uncrossed her arms, her gaze flitting between Jasper, Lapis, and Connie before returning to Jasper. "Ah, you have nothing left to lose."

Connie could actually _hear_ Jasper's fists clenching even tighter. In the corner of her eye she could see the Quartz readying to spring forward.

The fusion raised a single palm up to signal the Quartz to stop. "There are too few of us left as it is. I'm willing to talk terms."

Peridot was quick to step forward. Connie knew that Peridot’s floating fingers only twitched that way when she was nervous, but the gem managed to keep her voice level. "I see. And what would you like in exchange for this unscheduled replenishment of our stores?" 

"Two things: access to the sanctuary-"

Jasper practically quivered with rage until Lapis swatted her and said, "War, Racecar? Raw," gesturing toward her cracked gem.

"You forget that she was also my general once," said the fusion in a quiet voice. "Besides, I have friends there, same as you all."

Through gritted teeth, Jasper muttered, "Then you shouldn't have chosen the wrong side. The wrong general."

“Enough Jasper, it isn’t the time,” said Peridot, the twitching of her floating fingers growing worse. Turning back to the fusion, she said, "I can update the warp network to accommodate that request."

"I wasn't on the wrong side. I was on the losing side," corrected the fusion with the rose and thorn motif on her outfit.

Turning back to Peridot, the fusion said, "Second, I want permission to visit. From her," and she pointed at Connie.

"Me?" squeaked the girl, having felt completely out of her depth through this entire encounter. 

_Through this entire day, if I'm being honest._

"Citrine and I parted on poor terms. You're not Citrine, but it looks like Citrine is part of you." 

It was a statement, not a question. Connie gave a small nod, feeling trapped under the fusion's three-eyed stare.

 _Is it easier or harder to win a staring contest with three eyes?_ wondered that irreverent corner of Connie's.

"Things are changing and the future isn't as clear as I once thought. Better I pay my respects sooner than later."

Connie glanced over to the others for guidance. Peridot gave a minute nod. Jasper just glared. Lapis rolled her eyes --maybe, it was hard to tell-- and made a 'get on with it' motion.

"Um, I give you-"

"Garnet," she provided.

"I give Garnet permission to visit the, uh, sanctuary," she said, her voice uncertain by the end.

The fus- Garnet gave her an easy smile. "Thank you, Connie."

 _Wait. No one actually said my name in front of her,_ she thought, a chill shooting down her spine.

"How did you..."

Garnet's smile grew wider and she winked her blue eye. "Oh, and the other two have already come and gone," she said.

Connie blinked. "I don't know what that means."

"You will."

Garnet walked a few paces away, Peridot visibly relaxing as she did, and gave a welcoming sweep of her arm toward the fountain.

As Jasper stalked forward, being careful to keep an eye on Garnet the whole time, the fusion said to Lapis, "You remember our old conversation. I want your answer, in case you've learned anything."

"Did I do, O God, did I as I said I’d do? Good! I did," came the Blue gem's reply.

"Foolish as ever," muttered the fusion, shaking her head.

There was a blur of motion as Garnet launched herself skyward, disappearing through a gap in the canopy overhead. The plants shivered and thrashed slightly, as though objecting to the disturbance, and then there was silence save for the tinkling of the fountain.

Gingerly, Jasper set Lapis down so that she was sitting up on the corner of the basin, as far from the Rose Quartz statuettes as she could manage. Before Jasper could raise herself, Lapis leaned in and delivered a kiss on the warrior's cheek. Jasper froze, her hand touching the spot.

The Quartz said something low to Lapis that Connie couldn’t make out, then leaned past. Cupping a generous amount of the water in her large palm, Jasper raised it up and dribbled it over Lapis' gemstone. The damaged, blue teardrop flared with light, and then the crack shrank away until it vanished entirely.

Lapis sat there, head down, silent.

"Lapis? Are you well?" called Peridot.

"Pip?" said Lapis, without looking up. "To last, I remedy my demerits a lot."

Jasper rocked back. Connie's eyes went wide. Peridot made a strangled sound.

Lapis looked up, her eyes restored to normal, her grin broad. "Ha! Got you, P-pod! Man, that is not a joke ya get to make often."

"Oh, of all the- You are- I simply cannot fathom the twisted contours of your warped sense of humor!" screeched the technician.

Jasper laid a still-damp hand on Lapis' shoulder, and said something for only Lapis to hear. Lapis' smile dropped off her face and she turned to look up at Jasper. "Oh. Oooh. Uh... Can I get a raincheck?" she asked, giving a pained smile up at the large Quartz.

Jasper took a step back, drawing herself up to her full height, and began surveying the surroundings for threats. Her expression was stoic and her gaze passed everywhere save at Lapis.

Lapis took it for the dismissal it was and walked over toward the others. Connie closed the distance and slugged Lapis in the arm, then pulled her into a hug. Peridot approached the fountain and meticulously filled the specialized containers to their brim.

* * *

Jasper returned from the temple. "The vials are all secured."

"That's fortuitous. I wanted us all present so we could find out once and for all what actually befell Lapis to crack her in the first place,” said Peridot, standing opposite the couch which Lapis and Connie were seated on.

“Oh, right,” said Lapis. “So, I was flying recon over Manikota-”

“You were looking for Amethyst?” asked Connie, eyes wide.

Lapis gave her a sad smile. “Yeah, we’ve been keeping an eye out. I know you were really bummed about it. Honestly, for everyone’s sake, it’d be nice to get to try and talk it out.”

“Plus, we don’t know if she’s safe around humans,” added Jasper.

“That too,” agreed Lapis. Connie started to object but Lapis silenced her with a gesture. “No, I get it, she was cool around us and she helped save you, which is major brownie points, but you’ve got that,” she pointed to Connie’s gemstone, “so maybe you got special treatment. Also, she ran with the Quartz Pack. They weren’t gentle with their toys, if ya know what I’m sayin’.”

Connie hung her head low.

Peridot cleared her throat. “I feel we are straying from the most pressing topic, notably your being cracked, Lapis.”

“Right, sorry, P. So, I was flying back from having a looksie when there’s this loud roar, like a lion or something. Sounded pissed. A second later up becomes down, things get _real_ confusing, and then I wind up making an emergency landing. On my back. Hit a rock, got cracked, and it gets kinda funny from there but I’m pretty sure I grabbed the broken bits and then staggered to the warp pad.” Lapis looked around. “What’d I do with that stuff, anyway?”

“You blew it in my face and glasses,” drawled Peridot, deadpan.

“Ha! Really?! Man, I can’t believe I pocket-sanded P-pod with my own gem dust. That’s hardcore!” boasted the Blue gem.

Peridot looked unimpressed.

“Know what dropped you?” asked Jasper, her gaze intense.

Lapis shook her head. “Nope. Too much happening at once. I think I might take this as a sign to lay off on the manhunt for a little while. Even without the Quartz Pack, clearly the Great North isn’t done being dangerous.”

Connie seemed to wilt further.

Lapis and Peridot shared a look and then Lapis said, "Hey, Con-con. Don't let my whoopsie-doodle get ya down. Everything worked out alright."

Connie looked up and met the eye of each gem in the room. "Yeah, but I've been pretty much useless this whole time. I had no idea what was going on most of the time, you got cracked going out to look for Amethyst to try and help me feel better, and I completely failed as a lookout, the one job I _could_ do. Or, could if I wasn't so blind and inept."

"The apostate cheats," was all Jasper said, arms crossed.

The girl stared at Jasper uncomprehendingly for a moment before Peridot spoke. "Furthermore, your self-assessment of your vision is quite incorrect. Why, you have the keenest vision of anyone present in this room… at least, when I’m not actively scanning my surroundings and projecting the results on my HUD.”

"What?" asked Lapis. "But Connie's been wearing glasses since she was a tot. She could barely see past her nose back then."

Peridot grinned, rocking on her gravity connectors. "Exactly. Connie suffered from childhood myopia. As she matured, her vision improved dramatically."

"How... How long have I had good eyesight?" asked Connie, holding her glasses in front of her with a perplexed expression. "I mean, we had that eye exam five days ago so if this is a recent thing than I guess-"

"Oh, no. Sadly, the improvement of your visual acuity plateaued around the time of your eleventh birthday," explained Peridot.

"But... Why... Do you guys have poor eyesight too? Not compared to mom, but, like, other humans?" stammered Connie, trying to make sense of this revelation.

Peridot pulled up a hologram with a two-color graph, both lines sharing a large overlap in the middle. "No, curiously, humans and gems have comparable powers of perceptiveness once you control for variables like disease and injury."

"What's my prescription?" asked Connie, her voice tight.

Peridot frowned. "The most common terrestrial scale, Snellen Fractions, are lacking in granularity in my opinion but-"

"The prescription," demanded Connie.

"20/15 would be the closest approximation for your prescription. Plus or minus minor variance, all of us and the Steven have the standard vision for a healthy human: 20/20. Your father, meanwhile, has 20/50."

“So, you’ve been lying to me for years about needing glasses?” asked Connie, emotion creeping into her voice.

“That can't be it, Con-con," said Lapis in a conciliatory tone. Turning to give Peridot a _look_ , Lapis added, "Peridork is probably just saying it wrong and we're all getting riled up over nothing, right P?"

Peridot looked baffled. “I’ve made no attempt to misrepresent Connie's ocular capabilities. She is both the possessor of the most acute vision among those currently gathered, and in need of further assistance from corrective lenses.”

"How can those both be true? Why have I been wearing these?" asked Connie, her voice a mix of pleading and restrained anger. She removed the offending eyewear and thrust them in Peridot's direction in silent demand.

The Green gem adjusted her own glasses on her face as she glanced between Connie and her offering, confused. "Well, dear, your mother's vision was on the order of 20/8. Hence the corrective eyewear. Unless you object to them on an aesthetic basis. I admit, it might have been a touch conceited but I thought the two of us wearing similar..."

While Peridot spoke, Connie unclenched her fist and carefully folded up the glasses. She set them gently on the ground. Then she glared daggers at Peridot until the gem trailed off. With the room silent, Connie spoke slowly, anger creeping into her voice as she went. "I'm. Not. MOM!" she punctuated the last word by stomping down on the glasses, shattering the lenses and bending the frame.

Peridot winced like she'd be struck.

"Jasper wants me to grow up and be just like mom, because she thinks mom was perfect!"

Jasper scowled slightly. "Who else would you be like?" as though Connie were saying something nonsensical.

"Lapis needs me to 'play referee' like dad says mom used to. If I hadn't confronted her, everything would still be awful!"

Lapis' expression darkened. "Has Doug been talking schist behind my back? Because I can tell you a thing or two about your papa."

Connie picked up the ruined eyewear and pointed it at Peridot like a weapon. "But even if everyone else had their... agendas, I thought I could trust _you_. Sure, you can be strict sometimes, and for so long you didn’t want me to be an acting Crystal Gem, but I thought all of that was you trying to take care of me."

"Connie, of course it was. Any reluctance I had-"

"But now I find out you've been gaslighting me. For years!” Connie held Peridot’s gaze until the Green gem broke eye contact to stare at her gravity connectors.

Connie continued. “Maybe I don't want to be like mom. Maybe I _can't_ be like her! But wasn't that the point of that promise she made you all make? Isn't that why I have to figure out my powers on my own? So I'd have the freedom to discover my own identity?"

Connie stood there, angry, panting, her hand bleeding slightly from where the broken glass had cut into her palm.

Everyone was silent.

Rounding on Peridot one final time she said in a wavering voice, "If I can't trust you then who can I trust?"

When Peridot failed to do more than stammer, Connie stepped briskly past the gem, pushed the door open with a bang, and stormed through.

Peridot snapped to, attempting to chase after her ward. "Connie! Where are you going?!"

Suddenly a yellow square of force sprang into existence, less than an inch-wide gap between it and the open doorway.

Peridot looked surprised for a second and then frantically hammered on the field. "CONNIE?! THIS IS HIGHLY INAPPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR!"

Arms at her side, Connie tromped down the stairs. When she reached the sand, she stormed across it in the direction of town, slowing down only long enough to fire off a brief text to Steven and then to call her dad.

_* CoMa - 03:05pm | My glasses are a SHAM! I am never wearing them again. I don't know who I can trust anymore. Come home soon._

* * *

Connie paused at the door to apartment #212, her hand poised to knock. Despite her dad assuring her she'd be welcome (and that Priyanka wasn't visiting today), Connie worried she was trading one family mess for another when she was least capable of dealing with it.

_Is there a card for, 'Sorry I walled you and your girlfriend in with my magical force fields after storming out,' because I could really use one right now._

Without intending to, her hand went to her gemstone, brushing up against the pocket containing her ruined glasses. Connie physically shuddered at the wave of emotions that provoked.

She knocked on the door, if a touch timidly.

Doug took one look at Connie and pulled his daughter into a hug. She tried saying something but she was too choked up to articulate. Being smushed into his shirt didn't help.

Pulling back, her dad said, "Is this about dinner the other night?"

Connie shook her head.

"Then don't worry about that for now. I'm sorry, officer, but right now I can't seem to recall the events of May 21st," he said, giving his daughter a wink.

She managed a relieved giggle and stepped inside.

The first thing he did was get her a glass of hot tea (“Tea is basically a hug in a cup, especially with as much honey and lemon as I added.”).

The second thing he did was help clean and bandage the cuts on her palm. As he dabbed the peroxide-dosed cotton ball against her hand he gave her an opportunity to explain. She just blew on her mug and raised it to her lips with her free hand.

He didn’t pry about the cuts, or the ruined glasses that were just visible in her shirt pocket.

The third thing he did was set a trio of objects in front of Connie. “Choose wisely,” he said as he laid the third into position: the sheet music for a violin duet, a baggie full of Funland Arcade tokens, and a DVD copy of _Mulan_.

Without hesitation, Connie chose the last one.

* * *

_”Father! I've brought you the sword of Shan-Yu. And the Crest of the Emperor! They're gifts to honor the Fa Family,”_ said a nervous Mulan, handing the items to her father.

He dropped the gifts and instead pulled his daughter into a hug. _”The greatest gift in honor is having you for a daughter. I've missed you so.”_

_”I've missed you too, Baba,”_ replied Mulan.

“It’s sweet, don’t get me wrong, but maybe don’t drop the artefacts in the dirt, Mulan-Dad,” drawled Connie.

“He’s just relieved he’s still alive. Disney has it out for parents. Almost none of their protagonists have both, you know,” said Doug in response. He fished the last two sticks of Pocky out of the latest box they’d demolished, offering one to Connie before finishing his own stick off in three quick bites.

Connie leaned into her dad, nibbling the imported treat. She felt the outline of the glasses resting in her shirt pocket but she willed herself to ignore them, at least until they were through the credits.

Once the DVD returned to the main menu, Connie blew out a breath, scooted back on the couch a little ways, and faced her dad. Doug turned off the TV and swiveled so he could face his daughter, waiting for her to broach whatever heavy subject this was all about.

“I… I don’t need glasses, it turns out.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. In fact, according to Peridot, I have better than 20/20 vision,” said Connie without the slightest hint of happiness about that fact.

“Did this just happen?” asked Doug. “Something to do with your gemstone, maybe?”

“Yes. Well, no. Both?” said Connie before she waved the confusion of her statement away and tried again. “It turns out I’ve had great eyesight since I was eleven but because it wasn’t as good as mom’s, Peridot has been keeping me in glasses.”

Doug’s brows furrowed. “She lied about your prescription?”

Connie shook her head. “Only by omission. But since I didn’t have super-Citrine eyes, clearly I needed corrective lenses. And everyone just trusted that Peridot was right.” 

Connie wrung her hands in her lap. “I… I’ve been kind sensitive about needing glasses with, ya know, mom.”

Doug looked like he was about to speak but he nodded instead and allowed her to continue.

“And it’s not _that_ big a deal in some ways. I mean, Lapis was gone for months and Jasper kinda lost it when Peridot was poofed.”

“Don’t remind me,” said Doug, a hand running through his hair. “You should have called me for that. I was busy but-” Connie frowned and he shut up, perhaps remembering that that wasn’t the subject at hand.

After a few moments, Connie continued. “I’ve always been able to count on Peridot. She was safe. Super ‘gemtech scans five times a day’ safe, sometimes. This isn’t a big betrayal, but, coming from her… Who can I trust, dad? They all want me to be mom, or be like mom, or they just expect me to fill her shoes in this way or that. I don’t even know if I can. Or if I should,” her voice filling with emotion as she went.

Doug gave Connie a sad smile. “Hey, Cutlass, it’s okay. My parents? They were expecting an engineer, or an architect, maybe an accountant. What they got was a grad-school dropout who became a rent-a-cop while he was going gaga about some woman who not only wasn’t Indian, she wasn’t _human._ ”

“You’re not a rent-a-cop,” protested Connie.

“Not now, but that’s how I got started. Me and Marco, keeping strip malls safe for slightly more than minimum wage. My point being, parents don’t get to pick how their kids turn out. Nor should they, more often than not. And no one can be more blind to that fact than the parents themselves.”

“What about you?” asked Connie, her voice was light but her eyes questioning.

“No. One of my birthday presents to you was figuring that lesson out in advance. I think it was in between the stuffed bear and the new cell phone,” he joked weakly. “Anyway, we both owe Peridot for a lot and I know she’d sooner saw off one of her limb enhancers than deliberately hurt you. So this was all... well, on top of being an alien, Peridot’s a _nerd_ , so fumbling personal matters is to be expected. Trust me, I saw plenty during my time at Delmarva Tech.”

“Aliens?” asked Connie, deliberately misinterpreting him.

“Oh, you,” he said, scooching over and ruffling her hair.

Connie smiled at him and nodded, her knees up at her chest and her arms wrapped around them. His words made sense, but it still _hurt._

Doug pressed on. “How about this? I’ll schedule you an appointment with a normal eye doctor so we can know from an objective source what’s really going on with your vision. Also, I can have a word with Peridot, one caregiver to another, to spare you the confrontation. You can even stay over here for awhile if you’d like to catch your breath.”

Connie smiled up at her dad, relieved and suddenly exhausted. “Thanks,” she said, meaning it.

Doug shot her a smile and began gathering up the empty tea mugs and discarded Pocky boxes. “In the meantime, we can watch something else if you want. I’ve even got _Mulan II_ packed somewhere if you’re feeling brave enough,” offered her dad with a chuckle.

Connie scowled, “Never again! Dad, we promised not to speak of that movie further.”

That just made him laugh harder as he made his way to the kitchen.

The sense of exhaustion came to the fore, reminded Connie of something. She looked around. “Hey, uh, silly question but do you even _have_ another bed here? I helped you move in and I don’t remember one.”

“You’re sitting on it,” came the answer from across the apartment. “The couch pulls out into a sofa bed.”

A thought occurred to Connie and she pulled a face. Debating whether or not to bring it up, she eventually peeked over the back of the couch and said, “I-Is this where Priyanka sleeps when she’s over here?”

Doug looked out from the kitchen entryway, eyeing Connie for a moment. “No, I can safely say Pri has never slept on that couch.”

“Okay. Thanks,” she said, a little embarrassed but relieved.

She was just starting to examine some of the other DVD titles her dad had when the implications of that statement settled in.

_Oooh. Now I wish my mind’s eye needed glasses because, yuck!_

* * *

Connie kept fidgeting with the ruined glasses like they were worry beads. She was sitting opposite Steven but she hadn’t been looking _at_ Steven for some time. “I stayed at dad’s until this morning, actually. Peridot wasn’t in the Beach House when I got back and I didn’t feel like looking for her. Dad helped but…” she sighed. “It’s been a long three weeks and I just wasn’t ready to deal with anything else. Then I got your call and came here.”

Steven nodded, trying to get the swirling craziness of his insides to settle down. Plus, there was one thing he felt like he’d explode if he didn’t ask about. “What’s that sanctuary thing Garnet was asking about?”

“It’s apparently the equivalent of Rose’s fountain, but for my mom. The gems say it’s nice there. Peaceful.”

“There’s nothing else? No more destiny overload?” asked the boy, adding a second later, “Not that that wasn’t plenty.”

“That’s everything,” said Connie. She seemed suddenly tired at the admission.

 _I wonder if mom and dad ever wish I wasn’t… deaf?_ he thought, turning to his own thoughts so he could leave Connie to hers for a moment. _They must have, right? No parents_ want _to have a baby that can barely hear._

The line of thinking was hardly a new one, Steven had his moments of heavy introspection like everyone else, but in light of what Connie had said, it seemed like a different question. 

_Would they have been happier with a Steven who could hear normally?_ He played with the image a while but… he couldn’t see it. On a fundamental level, his parents loved _him_ and the hearing thing paled in comparison. And the same was true for the gems and Connie, too.

Right?

He imagined a Connie who didn’t have powers, despite the gemstone set in her chest. She’d talked about her and Jasper bonding over being Quartzes together, going on patrols, going on adventures. She probably wouldn’t be doing that without destiny powers.

It sounded like Lapis had always been fun and happy-go-lucky with Connie, even before she could do magic and stuff, but could Connie have gotten Lapis to really listen to her at the party if she’d had to hide under the stage with Steven and his parents when the bee monsters had shown up?

Miss Peridot was the easiest to see: being Connie’s teacher, cooking dinner for her, making sure she stayed healthy. But, she’d gotten so excited planning and scanning and testing and stuff whenever Connie discovered a new power...

He wasn’t sure and he knew Connie wouldn’t be either. And here she was, scared, angry, sad, _exhausted_ , turning to him for help.

Right this second, that help needed to be a different topic of conversation.

 _When you’re up on stage, the worst thing you can say is nothing,_ his dad had told him once when a much younger Steven had asked him about talking to people. _And when in doubt, stick with TV shows and movies. Well, the ones you see on TV before 9pm. That late-night stuff can be pretty divisive too._

“So… what’d you think of _CBF_?” he asked. “Pretty great, right?”

Connie made a noise that was somewhere between a chuckle and a groan. What it _wasn’t_ was the sound of being crushed under the weight of your own magical destiny.

Steven smiled. “You’re a Glum Glass fan, which is great because she and Sniffling Croissant have a lot of big stuff happen together in later episodes and this online survey I took said I was totally a Sniffling Croissant. Oh, gimme a second and you can take the survey too! I have it bookmarked because, after the season three finale, there was all this discussion on the bus to school and...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The art for this chapter came from MJStudioArts.
> 
> A special thanks to [Palindrome List](http://www.palindromelist.net/) for helping with Lapis' dialogue. We had entirely too much fun sifting through this site for fun lines to have the drunk blue goof to spout.
> 
> Here’s the internal model for Garnet, the last Rose-loyalist.  
> 
> 
> Long ago, we had different plans for Garnet. Here is the design for a Garnet who was still a servant of Blue Diamond.  
> 
> 
> Tune in Wednesday, December 20th for the final chapters of _Loud and Clear_ with the titular chapter, **Loud and Clear** , plus the epilogues. Consider it the 2nd half of chapter 1, the finale for the whole episode, plus some epilogue-y goodness to wash it down.
> 
>  
> 
> * * *
> 
> New omakes and rewrites to point out:  
> *) [What if, when Connie was younger, Peridot had let her get a puppy?](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12265302/chapters/29370699) by [br42](http://archiveofourown.org/users/br42/pseuds/br42) \- A new addition to Peridot’s What-If Machine Collection.  
> *) [Deleted Scenes - Ep16: Loud and Clear, Ch5: Do Not Bob To Nod](http://archiveofourown.org/works/10673391/chapters/29546148) by [br42](http://archiveofourown.org/users/br42/pseuds/br42), [BurdenKing](http://archiveofourown.org/users/BurdenKing/pseuds/BurdenKing), [CoreyWW](http://archiveofourown.org/users/CoreyWW/pseuds/CoreyWW), [MJStudioArts](http://archiveofourown.org/users/MjStudioArts/pseuds/MjStudioArts) \- "Alternate scenes including: Lapis and Connie play resulting in Lapis getting cracked, Lapis flees post-healing, Debriefing post-mission, Chapter ending with Steven and Connie"
> 
> If you have a Connie Swap story burning in your soul that you want to see in our official, curated Omake collection, drop us a comment either in the Omake fic or here in the main fic and we'll get in touch.
> 
> Connie Swap has an official Discord for the fans. [Come check it out.](https://discord.gg/RQMDdhr)
> 
> As usual, we'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments and your asks at the [Connie Swap Tumblr](http://connieswap.tumblr.com/). Thanks for reading!


	6. Loud and Clear

It had been a long picnic. Connie had summoned one of her super cool force fields overhead after Steven noticed himself getting pink from being out in the sun. That everything underneath was cast a shade of yellow was a neat bonus.

Still, after they'd taken the _CBF_ survey, after Steven had told Connie the highlights of his family vacation in Capital City, the two had by unspoken agreement laid down, each wiped out from their shared emotional roller coaster ride.

With a moment's respite, Steven had to wonder about his own inner roller coaster. What the heck did it mean? He knew he was an emotional guy. He'd get swept up in the moment if someone was really happy or sad or excited or if the comic book he was reading had gotten _really_ tense. But this, with Connie, was kinda different. Kinda really different.

 _Well,_ a part of him thought, _Connie is kinda really different._

Connie stretched like Lion after a nap before settling back down. "What are you thinking about?" she asked, her voice mellow. Maybe she had been napping.

 _About you and how special you are,_ he almost said, his penchant for saying the first thing to come to mind narrowly averted.

Steven felt himself blush fiercely, his stomach doing loop-de-loops. After two failed attempts to say something, anything except, well, what he was thinking, he stammered out, "A-About when we first met."

Steven saw Connie blink in his peripheral vision. "Really? Back at the Big Donut?" She grimaced. "I sometimes can't believe how badly that went, with that gem shard possessing my overalls."

"No, it wasn't bad," said Steven quickly. _Because I met you,_ he silently added, once more his mental filter proving unusually effective.

The ensuing silence from Connie was heavy with skepticism.

Trying a different approach, Steven said, "I mean, that was like starting a story about destiny stuff. One moment everything is calm, I'm in this store buying snacks, and next thing I know I'm taking a book to a giant statue lived in by a family of magicians."

Connie gave a giggle. "It's not that kind of magic, you know."

"I do now, but at the time I thought Jasper was the bouncer and I'd have to show her the magic little sausage trick so I could get in."

Connie pushed herself up, resting on her elbows. "The what?"

Steven's face lit up. "Oh, here, let me show you." He got up and crouched beside Connie, gently taking the girl's hands in his own. "First, make the sign for 'G' with your right hand. Then do the same with your left to make a backwards G. Now have it so that your Gs are almost touching, then make your eyes blurry."

Connie stared for a moment and giggled, Steven's inner roller coaster doing an excited spin at that. Then her expression darkened and she sighed, hands dropping to her lap.

 _Huh? Oh, that made her think about her glasses!_ thought the teen, mentally kicking himself as his inner ride plummeted.

Steven sat down across from Connie, his expression sad but his eyes resolute. He reached over and began to sign into Connie's palm.

Connie's brows furrowed as she identified the letters. "H-A-R-P-O-O-N G-U-N. Harpoon gun?"

"When we were on the docks, the day we met, that worm monster was smashing things and I couldn't hear anything and I was freaking out. You stepped in and made everything better. You didn't even know sign language so you drew pictures and letters on a fogged up force field. Like 'harpoon gun'," he said, his expression warm, nostalgic even.

Connie's cheeks flushed slightly and she raised a hand to tuck a stray bit of hair behind her ear. "Oh, yeah. I remember that."

Steven reached up and wiggled Connie's nose. "I'll be okay?" she said, translating the gesture. A second later she sneezed one of her cute little mouse sneezes. Both of them laughed.

"You did that too, on the docks," elaborated the boy, his eyes never leaving his friend's face. "I think you will be okay because you're the smartest, bravest, most heroic person I know."

Connie's blush definitely deepened at that, but she wasn't able to hold Steven's gaze for long. "But, these last couple of weeks were so awful. I'm so confused. Frustrated. Angry. And so full of doubts."

"That's because your destiny surprised you when you weren't ready. But, like, we're Destiny Partners, right? So if you're having destiny trouble, and since I've read, like, a million comic books, I'm pretty sure you are," Steven said, smiling at Connie's chuckle, "then you should be able to get extra help from me to make up for it."

Connie looked thoughtful, a small smile spreading on her lips. "Which is what you've been doing since the second you got back from your vacation. Oh, Steven... I've been so anxious because Jasper and Lapis need me to be like mom for them, dad doesn't get a lot of stuff plus Priyanka’s there a lot to complicate things, and Peridot I thought I could trust but..." she trailed off and shook her head. "But the person I _can_ trust, who does understand things, who isn't all caught up on mom? It's you, Steven."

Steven felt tingly all over, like his arms, legs, even his scalp had fallen asleep, and yet he felt _extremely_ awake at the same time. This only got more intense when Connie's hands found his own.

Connie spoke up, which was good because Steven wasn't sure he was capable of saying anything that sounded like words just then. "I see that clearly now."

Steven reached up and fiddled with a hearing aid, just for show. "And I hear you plenty loud." They both laughed at the joke, neither caring that it was a little lame.

"You do so much for me. You mean so much _to_ me. I wish there was some way I could help you too," she said, the corners of her mouth pulling into a slight frown that Steven was suddenly willing to do anything and everything to make better.

"Connie, you literally make every day I hang out with you magical. I have the coolest friend and the best adventures now. It's like _Lutes and Loot_ for real, but with way fewer Frybo golems because I'm pretty sure Peedee is using the game as a way to vent."

For some reason, their faces had been getting closer and closer as they spoke. Steven was used to watching people's mouths for lip-reading, but he kept staring at Connie's even when he didn't need to. It was only at the last moment, as some part of Steven on auto-pilot started to pivot his head, that he realized that he was-

Connie leaned forward, touching her forehead to his, eyes closed and noses nuzzling like they were each telling the other it would be okay. When Connie and miss Lapis had gone off to talk after shouting at each other through their big bee fight, Steven had seen them do this. There it was sweet, like a special hug between a kid and their parent. Here, it was... actually Steven didn't really know what this was but it felt like his world was getting brighter.

_Wait, is it actually getting brighter?_ thought Steven as he noticed a glow through his eyelids. Opening his eyes he saw Connie's gemstone shining, then redoubling in intensity.

His jaw dropped. He leaned back, his expression rapt.

He meant to say, "Connie! Your gem!" What he actually said was, "Conn-ARGH!" and he flinched back so hard he wound up lying on his side.

"STEVEN?! STEVEN, ARE YOU OKAY?!" shouted Connie in a voice that rivaled a jet engine for volume. Steven turned off the hearing aids, and when that didn't help enough he ripped the things out of his ears.

"Steven?!" cried Connie, the volume low enough Steven was able to notice the worry in her voice rather than just hide like Lion from the vacuum cleaner. 

Steven sat up and gave an apologetic smile. "Sorry, my ears went crazy or something but they're working now."

"What?"

"I said, my hearing aids-" and he raised his hand to the device at his ear only to find it missing. A quick check confirmed he'd removed the other as well.

_Oh, phooey. Where'd I toss those things?_

"Steven, I'm kinda freaking out here."

Steven looked up. "Oh, sorry Connie. I took out my hearing aids so..." he blinked. "So I... WHY CAN I HEAR YOU?!"

"Steven, why can't I hear you!"

The two went wide-eyed, a kind of spontaneous, shared comprehension dawning between them.

"Aaaah!" they both shouted. A half-second later, Steven clapped his hands over his ears, leaving Connie to scream on his behalf.

She was kind enough to oblige him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Wait, that's the end of the chapter?! I didn't think a Connie Swap chapter could be less than 5,000 words anymore!_
> 
> Generally that's true, and believe me, we have A LOT more prose coming your way, but we're doing something a little different to close out 2017: we have a series of **five epilogues** (plus **one epilogue omake** ) that we'll be posting **one-a-day** starting this **Friday** (Dec. 22nd). This means the last (and largest) of these epilogues will be going up on Wednesday, Dec. 27th. In terms of word count, these epilogues collectively equate to about **two chapter's worth of content**... including an additional piece of art by the oh-so-talented MJStudioArts. So we'll see you again on Friday and every day thereafter through to the 27th.
> 
> * * *
> 
> When we decided to have the Steven of this AU be hearing impaired, one of our goals in Connie Swap was to treat that fact with the respect and gravity it deserved. This wasn't just a quirk of the character, it was something pervasive that affected Steven everyday and no doubt had a huge impact on him growing up.
> 
> Furthermore, having that part of him transferred to Connie was going to be a major deal for both characters, and something that could easily be handled poorly if we weren't careful. To that end, we reached out to two fine fellows who were knowledgeable on the subject, [citrusella](http://archiveofourown.org/users/citrusella/pseuds/citrusella) and [Ajora](http://archiveofourown.org/users/ajora/), several months ago to pick their brains for advice on how to do this right while also avoiding some of the pitfalls surrounding the subject. 
> 
> They were both extremely helpful and we're quite thankful for their assistance. We've used some of their advice already, doing what we could in the episodes leading up to this point to lay groundwork. More will be showing up in the epilogues to come, and still more will be playing out as this significant plot detail progresses. We'd also like to thank them for keeping this spoiler hidden over the months since discussing it with them.
> 
> Whether we handle this well is on us, but they've done a lot to leave us better equipped to try.
> 
> On an unrelated note, citrusella and Ajora are both fine fic writers and you should consider checking out their works, which you can do [here](http://archiveofourown.org/users/citrusella/pseuds/citrusella) and [here](http://archiveofourown.org/users/ajora/), respectively.
> 
> * * *
> 
> The art for this chapter came from MJStudioArts (foreground) and BurdenKing (background and secret clue).
> 
> Here’s the internal model for Steven and Connie nuzzling. It's old, as evidenced by the fact that Connie's wearing her glasses, but way too cute not to share.  
> 
> 
> Tune in Wednesday, January 10th for the first chapter of **Episode 17: Steven's Picnic Delivery Service**.
>
>>   
>   
>  There's been too much crazy magical destiny business going on lately and Connie needs a break. Steven hopes to give her that with a nice, quiet day without magical shenanigans, starting with a picnic. What could go wrong?
> 
> **EDIT (1/9/18): fan and skilled artist**[Anawinkaro](https://anawinkaro.deviantart.com/art/Connie-Swap-AU-Connverse-kiss-721420565) was inspired by the indirect kiss of this chapter and drew this much more direct kiss to go with it. If you're a fan of illustrated Connverse, you can find more of Anawinkaro's art on their Deviant Art page [here](https://anawinkaro.deviantart.com/).  
> 
> 
> * * *
> 
> There's a new omake to share:  
> *) [J.UNI.OR. - Chapter 1](http://archiveofourown.org/works/10673391/chapters/29733927) by [Japkot](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Japkot/pseuds/Japkot) \- J.UNI.OR. ( **J** asper **UNI** verse **OR** igin): Connie and Steven discover that she can summon her weapon, this time with a twist...
> 
> If you have a Connie Swap story burning in your soul that you want to see in our official, curated Omake collection, drop us a comment either in the Omake fic or here in the main fic and we'll get in touch.
> 
> Connie Swap has an official Discord for the fans. [Come check it out.](https://discord.gg/RQMDdhr)
> 
> As usual, we'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments and your asks at the [Connie Swap Tumblr](http://connieswap.tumblr.com/). Thanks for reading!


	7. Amethyst Epilogue #1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These epilogues are presented in chronological order but keeping track of when they occur might seem a little tricky. To help with that, here's the timeline for the whole episode, epilogues and all:
> 
> May 7th: Episode 15 ( _Bonnie Lockdrew_ ) happens; Connie, Steven, and Doug visit the quarry; Steven's family leaves that evening for their family vacation to Capital City.
> 
> May 14th: Ep16Ch2 ( _Fur and Fleas_ ) starts; investigating the downed sensor structure; the irregular blizzard happens; Amethyst is met.
> 
> May 15th: Ep16Ch2 ends; the Quartz Pack is bubbled; Amethyst steals the Pearlbook and escapes; Connie is comforted by Lapis; Amethyst Epilogue #1 happens.
> 
> May 17th: Ep16Ch3 ( _Citrine's Room_ ) happens; Connie opens her mother's room and is subsequently disappointed; Connie is comforted by Peridot.
> 
> May 21st: Ep16Ch4 ( _Whine and Dine_ ) happens; Connie gets her new glasses; dinner with Doug and Priyanka; Connie is comforted by Jasper; [Priyanka Epilogue Omake](http://archiveofourown.org/works/10673391/chapters/29961447) happens.
> 
> May 25th: [Amethyst Epilogue #2](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12493772/chapters/29961567) happens.
> 
> May 26th: Ep16Ch5 ( _Do Not Bob To Nod_ ) happens; Lapis is cracked; the Crystal Gems visit Rose's Fountain and encounter Garnet; Lapis is healed; Connie learns about her vision; Connie is comforted by Doug.
> 
> May 28th: Ep16Ch1 ( _Panic and Picnic_ ) and Ep16Ch6 ( _Loud and Clear_ ) happen; Steven's family returns from vacation; Connie and Steven have a picnic in Lighthouse Park; Connie tells Steven about the previous three weeks; Connie is comforted by Steven; Steven's deafness is transferred to Connie; Garnet Epilogue, Connie Epilogue, and Steven Epilogue happen.

\--- May 15th---

_Je vais kill them all!_ Amethyst thought, a furious honk punctuating the point from the goose form she'd assumed a few hours after escaping her pack's bubbling. **[ _I'm going to kill them all!_ ]**

Amethyst hadn't been to this cave in a long time. Some humans had gone and done her a solid by boarding up the entrance. It kept bears and wolverines from using it. Not that they weren't fun to tussle with, but they screwed up her organizational system. Plus, in her current mood, there probably wouldn't have been much animal left to chase off when she was done.

Shapeshifting her free arm into a crowbar, she quickly pried the boards out of her way. Normally she'd save the pokie bits or the fun sign ("Zone dangereuse - Accès interdit") but she was too irate and settled instead for breaking a few boards on the way in.

She dropped the backpack she'd swiped from that weasel, Citrine, and took stock. Most of her stuff was still here. Some humans had come in at some point before the place had been sealed off and done human stuff, disrupting some of her piles, but they'd left empty cans and bottles lying around which helped make up for it.

She tried organizing a collection of pipes, old bones, and some of those sticks hikers walked with for some reason before kicking over the pile with a huff. Her heart just wasn't in it.

She'd just stepped outside and shapeshifted into her pack-shape --large (for her), four-legged, thick mane-- when she remembered there wasn't a pack for her to go blow off steam with.

It took a lot of work to _really_ tear down a tree, roots and all. Amethyst had knocked down three before she was willing to go back into the cave.

She walked in wiping moisture from her face, moisture that had nothing to do with snowfall melting on her. _Idiot,_ she thought. _Essayez et tuez les and you'll wind up in a bubble just like everyone else._ **[ _Idiot. Try and kill them and you'll wind up in a bubble just like everyone else._ ]**

The pack had fended them off several times, but on her own the best she could hope was getting in a couple of good hits before going down.

If her pack were around, she'd curl up with them for warmth. Maybe scrap a little or eat something. It was comforting. If some of them were having an especially good day, they might even lick her cheek. Instead, Amethyst walked over to the backpack she'd taken and gave it a dejected kick, punting it across the cave. It hit the far side with a satisfying 'thump', contents spilling out onto the ground.

With nothing better to hold her interest, Amethyst padded over and sifted through the stuff. She'd gone through most of this before, after she'd (foolishly) hauled Citrine out of the snow and dragged her back to her previous cave. A bulge in the pack, however, revealed a pocket she hadn't bothered with before. She undid the zipper, reached in and withdrew a large book.

“Score! Crinkly pages are parfait pour faire une sieste.” **[Score! Crinkly pages are perfect to nap on.]**

Turning the thing over she saw a big honkin' gem --a Pearl, she knew instinctively-- stuck in the front. Cracked but still pretty, especially the way it caught the light.

"Why'd they go and vous coller sur un livre, Cracky?" She prodded the gemstone, then held the book by one cover and shook it, as though the rest of the Pearl were hiding inside. **[Why'd they go and stick you on a book, Cracky?]**

“Is that ta bulle? Did you piss ‘em off ou quelque chose?” she asked, her voice loud in the possession-strewn cave. The Pearl was quiet on the subject of its predicament. **[Is that like your bubble? Did you piss ‘em off or something?]**

Amethyst walked over to the opening where the light was best and held the front of the book up to eye height. She scrutinized the Pearl anew, even going so far as sniff it. From her expression, she seemed to find it rather fragrant.

“Vous devez avoir fait quelque chose cool to earn a crack like that. Maybe you took a swing at one of les Cons Cristal. Knocked certains de la béatitude qui huge Jasper they’ve got, maybe,” Amethyst said, shifting a fist larger so she could shake it in the general direction she assumed the backstabbing quartet were located. **[You must have done something cool to earn a crack like that. Maybe you took a swing at one of those Crystal Jerks. Knocked some of the smug off that huge Jasper they’ve got, maybe.]**

That done, she shifted her hand back to normal and tossed the book in a pile of stuff that was reasonably soft. It landed with a heavy thump, gem-side up. For the next half hour the purple cave dweller rummaged through other things, snacking here or there, but she kept craning her head around (sometimes a full 180 degrees) to glance at the Pearl.

Amethyst was in the process of weaving one of Citrine’s scarves through her hair when she paused then said aloud, "If they locked you up then tu ne peux pas être si mauvais.” As she finished using an arm with an unnatural number of elbows to complete the weave she seemed to come to a decision. **[If they locked you up then you can't be that bad.]**

Walking purposefully over and hefting the book, she said, “C'est assez book time for you, Cracky. Come dehors," getting a good grip on the stone. **[That’s enough book time for you, Cracky. Come on out.]**

It took surprising force to unseat it, and for some reason the pages of the book exploded out into a shower of future bedding, but after that... nothing.

Amethyst held the stone expectantly for a while. "Hein... That was-" **[Huh... That was-]**

The Pearl began to light up and vibrate.

"Whoa!" Amethyst said, flinging the gem away.

The gem didn’t fly through the air, however. It hung suspended as the light glowed brighter. Slowly, the light began to take shape.

Amethyst backed away, summoning her weapon. She'd seen packmates poofed before and it was usually no big deal; Quartzes were tough but the pack could get pretty rowdy sometimes. Then there'd be a lightshow --with this really confusing part where they'd look like her before turning all four-legged-- and they'd be back, ready to have some fun. But Amethyst had no idea, instinctive or otherwise, what to expect from a Pearl. For all she knew, that gem could be some kind of terrifying, sword-swinging warrior.

A silhouette of white light emerged, tall and stick-thin. A dress --something she recognized only because she'd spied on humans in towns before-- and upswept hair came first. Then the hair changed to something swept back and the dress lengthened, gaining sleeves. Finally, the dress shortened again, the sleeves vanished, and the figure went from being pure white to being... still mostly white, actually.

Amethyst's former packmates would typically come down with a thud, roaring and eager to slug something. The Pearl landed lightly and gracefully, like a bird... a comparison that her nose only heightened.

The Pearl's eyes fluttered open, wide in surprise. "I'm... released?" she said, her mouth widening into a smile. "It's been so long. And I can speak, without restrictions! My name is Pearl and I can talk about myself all I want now. Hehe! Oh, and I'm not compelled to tell the truth anymore! I am my own gem who serves the illustrious Plaid Diamond," and she snickered, then giggled, then laughed outright. "I am a trained warrior and have no idea how to sing," she said in her clear voice before breaking down into almost manic laughter.

After riding out her giggle fit, she opened her mouth, head held high like a bird about to trill...

...but nothing came out. She looked confused. Opening her mouth again produced only silence. Her expression grew frustrated.

Whatever this was, Amethyst felt far from threatened. She let her whip dissolve into sparkles. "Hey Pearl. Costume de fantaisie you've got." **[Hey Pearl. Fancy outfit you've got.]**

The Pearl yelped, putting her foot down wrong on some of the cave's clutter. She stumbled, Amethyst stretching her arm out so she could catch her in time.

Reeling her arm in, Amethyst winked at the Pearl, her grin wide. This was fun. 

The Pearl blushed a fierce shade of teal as she found her footing. "Oh, you're the Amethyst I've been hearing. Th-Thank you," she stammered, her head bowed forward like she'd dropped something on the floor. Then she looked around, her eyes narrowing again in confusion. "Wait, where's Connie?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unfortunately, the translator who did the French and English code-switching in _Fur and Fleas_ wasn't able to assist for these epilogues. I've been making do with Google Translate but I'm sure the results are comparatively clumsy.
> 
> The art for this chapter came from MJStudioArts.
> 
> Here’s the internal model for Pearl. The leftmost outfit was her pre-book one and is referenced in her reforming sequence. The rightmost is her current outfit. The middle outfit was an alternate outfit design that wasn't used. Her eyes being mirrored while cracked was an older design idea that was ultimately dropped, but still shows up in these models.  
> 
> 
> See you tomorrow for the [Priyanka Epilogue Omake](http://archiveofourown.org/works/10673391/chapters/29961447).
> 
> * * *
> 
> If you have a Connie Swap story burning in your soul that you want to see in our official, curated Omake collection, drop us a comment either in the Omake fic or here in the main fic and we'll get in touch.
> 
> Connie Swap has an official Discord for the fans. [Come check it out.](https://discord.gg/RQMDdhr)
> 
> As usual, we'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments and your asks at the [Connie Swap Tumblr](http://connieswap.tumblr.com/). Thanks for reading!


	8. Amethyst Epilogue #2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're curious about the timeline for the events of _Loud and Clear_ (the epilogues included), you can see that at the top of this chapter [here](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12493772/chapters/29960853).

\--- May 25th---

Amethyst couldn't help goggling at the crazy surroundings. She didn't know who this Rose Quartz was, but she had the neatest choice of lairs. The place could use more stuff piles, but those feisty brambles were a hoot.

A fountain of crack-fixing water was a definite plus.

Pearl, however, had been acting even more uptight and nervous than usual for her. Sure, it'd only been, like, nine days since she met Pearl, but the gem had been shaking like a leaf the moment they'd stepped into the garden. She'd told Amethyst they had to hide from a rebel gem (whatever that meant) while they were there, but they hadn't seen anything except plants and a very pink fountain.

It wasn't until they'd ridden that freaking amazing warp thingy back to the desert that Pearl relaxed... well, as much as Pearl ever relaxed.

Amethyst felt a little better too, seeing that big honkin' crack in Pearl's stone gone.

The skinny gem started to walk out into the sand when Amethyst, impressed, whistled and said, "Je n'arrive toujours pas à croire you can get that warp dealie to work. I must have spent une centaine de saisons trying to get the one near my hole to do something. Same for the ones the pack wandered near. Les choses n'ont jamais rien fait," said Amethyst, remarking on just one of the numerous exciting developments since she'd been helping Pearl out, starting, heh, with helping Pearl _out_. **[I still can't believe you can get that warp dealie to work. I must have spent a hundred seasons trying to get the one near my hole to do something. Same for the ones the pack wandered near. The things never did anything.]**

Pearl did this thing when Amethyst spoke that none of the other gems she'd met did: she'd freeze like a deer hearing the sound of a predator, then she'd hustle over regardless of what else she'd been doing. Even the other packmates didn't respond -- _hadn't_ , she mentally corrected with a scowl-- to the alpha like that. It was weird.

"I was able to hear while embedded. Even before Connie became the book's operator..." she trailed off for a moment, getting a familiar, sad look in her eyes. This happened every time that Citrine came up and it made Amethyst simultaneously want to punch that liar over the treeline and... not punch her because it'd probably made Pearl even sadder.

Citrine was still a turd, though.

Pearl bowed her head, another of the weird things she'd do, and said, "Apologies, Amethyst. To answer your question, I was free to hear a great many things, especially after entering Connie's possession. The Peridot has attained administrative rights over the system's warp network and she has a habit of thinking aloud while she works."

Amethyst squinted as she tried to parse the strange new words this strange new gem said. Something clicked and a wicked grin spread across her face. "So you can make the warp things work pour toi au lieu d'eux? Oh! Ce n'est pas aussi bon as punching them in the face, but I'll take it!" **[So you can make the warp things work for you instead of them? Oh! That's not as good as punching them in the face, but I'll take it!]**

Pearl bowed once more ( _What is up with that?_ ) and said, "Apologies, Amethyst, but I cannot. The Peridot retains administrative rights, I merely learned of a special access used for maintenance purposes. It should allow us mobility within the still-active warp pads within this system, though."

She stood there waiting, hands clasped together in front of her. Amethyst had told her once to knock off all the weird stuff but Pearl said it made her happy to do it again. You didn't spend hundreds of seasons with gems as wacko as some of her packmates without learning to roll with it.

After a couple seconds Pearl dropped that 'deer' look, smiled, and went back to what she'd been doing before: the skinny gem walked a few paces away and knelt in the sand. Making a gesture with one hand, a tiny building rose out of the desert. It was fancy, kinda like Pearl, and really busy looking... also like Pearl.

It was also new, so maybe it was something she couldn't do with that crack. What else had that fountain water fixed?

The gem stood up once more, assumed that 'bird about to sing' pose, opened her mouth and...

Less than ten seconds into the song, Amethyst had teared up. She'd seen and heard a lot of stuff over the seasons, but this was _nothing_ like any of that. This was like a mole poking its head out of the ground for the first time and seeing the big ol' sky overhead. She didn't _really_ know what half the words had meant, but it didn't matter. If someone had turned her joy at joining the pack into a song, then crammed in her rage at seeing them bubbled, and then made it somehow sound pretty, it'd be what Pearl was belting out.

By the time she'd finished the song, her head was bowed in front of that sand building of hers. The sand beneath her was damp with tears, but Amethyst couldn't say if they were of joy or sadness. Both, probably. Looking up, Pearl smiled at Amethyst as both of them tried wiping away the moisture: Amethyst with the sleeve of her tunic, Pearl with this little square of cloth she took out of her gemstone.

"Did you know, Amethyst," Pearl said slowly, her expression as happy as Amethyst had ever seen her, "I haven't heard music for over five thousand years? I don't think I could, with the crack to my gemstone."

Amethyst blew her nose twice more before responding. "If you had that built up inside you, oui, je peux croire que. Damn, Pearl, but you've got to donner un avertissement before you go all songbird on me like that." **[If you had that built up inside you, yeah, I can believe that. Damn, Pearl, but you've got to give some warning before you go all songbird on me like that.]**

Pearl started to get that deer look when Amethyst was quick to add, "Not really, I was just saying c'était impressionnant." **[Not really, I was just saying that was impressive.]**

Pearl smiled. She turned and looked long at that sand building. Then, with a wave of her hand, the whole thing crumbled. Pearl held herself a little straighter --something Amethyst would have thought impossible-- and she got this intense look... a kind of opposite to the deer look. A hawk? Whatever it was, Amethyst wouldn't want to get in the way of it.

"Amethyst, how would you like to go home?"

Amethyst cocked her head to the side, blinking. "You mean like one of my caves? Because J'en ai des dizaines and some of them have some really cool stuff," she said, puffing up with pride. **[You mean like one of my caves? Because I've got dozens of 'em and some of them have some really cool stuff.]**

Pearl shook her head. "No, I mean your _real_ home," and she pointed... up?

Amethyst craned her head to follow. She knew instinctively that Pearl was pointing at a star even if she had no idea what that actually _meant_. Still, for some reason that same instinct said there was something different about the precise sparkly dot Pearl was pointing at.

It was a nice dot.

This felt right, whatever it was, and that was enough for Amethyst. With a finesse borne of hundreds of seasons of constant practice, she changed shape radically. Standing in her place was a smallish airplane with eyes and a mouth; she didn't know what those things were exactly, but they were the highest flying things she'd ever seen. "Je peux probablement tenir ce forme most of a day if I had to. Think it'll take longer than that pour y arriver?" **[I can probably hold this form most of a day if I had to. Think it'll take longer than that to get there?]**

Pearl made a tinkling laugh. "A little longer, but I have another mode of transportation in mind."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As with Amethyst Epilogue #1, the translator who did the French and English code-switching in _Fur and Fleas_ wasn't able to assist. I've been making do with Google Translate but any French speakers should temper their expectations.
> 
> Just for the fun of it, here's a doodle MJStudioArts did a while back of an exhausted Pearl and Amethyst. Given how stressed Pearl apparently was traversing Rose's Garden, this seemed like the appropriate epilogue to post the pic.  
> 
> 
> See you tomorrow for the Garnet Epilogue.
> 
> * * *
> 
> If you have a Connie Swap story burning in your soul that you want to see in our official, curated Omake collection, drop us a comment either in the Omake fic or here in the main fic and we'll get in touch.
> 
> Connie Swap has an official Discord for the fans. [Come check it out.](https://discord.gg/RQMDdhr)
> 
> As usual, we'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments and your asks at the [Connie Swap Tumblr](http://connieswap.tumblr.com/). Thanks for reading!


	9. Garnet Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're curious about the timeline for the events of _Loud and Clear_ (the epilogues included), you can see that at the top of this chapter [here](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12493772/chapters/29960853).

\--- May 28th---

She worked along the garden's edge, just inside the broad circle of stones she wouldn't allow Rose's brambles to spread across. Garnet's gardening techniques, like the gauntlets she was pummeling plant matter with, were rather blunt and forceful. Then again, these were hardly ordinary weeds.

The work helped. The solitude was an ache so familiar it had long since become a fixture of her life, indistinguishable from the landscape. Of course, she was never truly alone, but the once-a-century visits of the others made the ache stand out for a time, no longer just a part of the scenery. That the others had visited again less than a score of years later, right on the heels of the two surprise interlopers...

A vine coiled around the gauntlet covering Sapphire's gemstone, trying futilely to gouge her with its thorns. She allowed it to further engulf the weapon, waiting for the right time to act.

It was disconcerting when her future vision failed to see something coming. Despite what she liked to imply to the others, truly unlikely outcomes or events caused by actors she had no knowledge of could still surprise her.

The bramble had wrapped enough of itself around her armored right hand that her other gauntlet, the one covering Ruby's gemstone, was brought over to complete the attack. Garnet delivered a literally shocking rebuke, stunning the unruly thicket.

She'd wanted to chase after them, the Amethyst and the Pearl. She'd wanted to because they were trespassing, because they were unknowns, because they were _interesting_.

She pruned the aggressive growth back, tearing it in half and throwing the uprooted section into a nearby pile. The plants didn't take the forceful separation timidly. Garnet could respect that.

It was an inner conflict, the worst she'd had in a long time, that ultimately kept her from revealing herself to the trespassers.

Garnet surveyed her work, using her foot to brush soil back into divots and looking for something new that demanded her attention.

The interlopers had been unexpected, but Connie was something else entirely.

Garnet frowned as she gathered up the pile of trimmings, a few vines still struggling, a few butterflies flitting past. The work helped her remain mindful. She carried the mass over and added it to the burn pile, the signs of the previous controlled burn still evident.

Ruby and Sapphire both agreed that she needed to present a strong front to the others. She'd been confident. United. She'd left when she did in part so she could find somewhere safe to emote.

Between the scorch marks and the hoarfrost, that particular stretch of the garden's edge wouldn't need pruning for some time.

The futures surrounding the fusion of Citrine and a human were almost too numerous to track. That was partly because she didn't know enough. Too little information meant too many visions, a snarl in urgent need of trimming.

Thinking of trimming snarls, she bludgeoned yet another bush that was growing in the direction of the stone circle. It did its utmost to combat her; Rose's plants lived to fight, after all.

She wondered yet again if that was Rose's nature too. Rose _was_ a Quartz. Creator and created could --and often would-- be quite alike. Had the plants been Citrine's it would be an easier question to answer.

Which made Connie an even bigger enigma.

A glance ahead revealed that the garden's perimeter would stay vine-free for at least another month. She was procrastinating and she knew it. All of her. Citrine's Sanctuary was hers to visit. 

She missed it. She missed _her._ And Rose. Her generals had never fused with one another but they'd still been something beautiful together. They'd become something terrible apart. In that way they were the inverse of Malachite.

With a final yank, Garnet finished her work, to the extent that her work was ever finished. She unsummoned her gauntlets and studied her upraised palms, like weights leveling beneath a scale.

It was thrilling to not know what was coming next.

It was unsettling to have the future obscured.

It was both at the same time. Like her.

Of two minds and one purpose, she started walking toward the warp pad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m inordinately pleased that Garnet’s epilogue didn’t actually contain a single line of dialogue. Among the many things Garnet and Jasper apparently competed/clashed over, it was the title of Most Reticent Of Them All.
> 
> See you tomorrow for the Connie Epilogue.
> 
> * * *
> 
> If you have a Connie Swap story burning in your soul that you want to see in our official, curated Omake collection, drop us a comment either in the Omake fic or here in the main fic and we'll get in touch.
> 
> Connie Swap has an official Discord for the fans. [Come check it out.](https://discord.gg/RQMDdhr)
> 
> As usual, we'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments and your asks at the [Connie Swap Tumblr](http://connieswap.tumblr.com/). Thanks for reading!


	10. Connie Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're curious about the timeline for the events of _Loud and Clear_ (the epilogues included), you can see that at the top of this chapter [here](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12493772/chapters/29960853).

\--- May 28th---

Connie could hear Steven, which was weird because she'd just waved goodbye to him for the fifth and final time as he disappeared around the corner of a distant building, holding the picnic basket and walking his bike as he headed home. She was standing at the base of Lighthouse Park and she could hear him as though he were talking from another room, his voice muffled, his words indistinct.

She'd mentioned this to him after they'd had a little time to collectively panic, calm down, panic anew, and then finally take stock of the situation. From the way he'd flinched, either she'd spoken too loud or his hearing was really sensitive. Possibly both. He'd signed to her that thinking you hear stuff that isn't there is a thing some people have when their hearing worsens. Neimaat, a deaf friend of his from a previous school he'd attended, had complained of them.

She'd tried on his hearing aids but they didn't fit. Apparently, like glasses, they weren't one-size-fits-all. Plus they'd both agreed it was a little gross. He'd promised to bring a pair with him the next time he went to the Beach House in case it helped Peridot make a pair for Connie like she'd made her glasses. 

Connie had been too thrown by the situation, too relieved at the suggestion, to remember to feel upset about the reminder of Peridot and her glasses.

Even though her dad's apartment was just across the road, Connie turned and began walking down Thayer Street toward the Big Donut and thus the Beach House. She thought of Dr. Kurunthottical giving her an ear exam and shuddered. This, whatever it was, was gem business; hopefully the others would know how to make it better and she'd be able to tell her dad about it after the fact.

She found herself turning to look behind her regularly, expecting to find Steven back there talking quietly through a mouthful of fry bits or something. Also, her training made her treat the silence as suspicious ( _Drill Zero-Twenty-Three: situational awareness is key_ ) and a part of her was convinced someone was sneaking up on her.

The auditory hallucinations continued. Connie had taken to humming to herself just so the silence wasn't so absolute. 

Trekking past the Big Donut, Connie saw a dejected looking Lars sitting outside while a chipper Sadie picked bird seed and yellow feathers out of his hair. The blonde said something to Connie and waved. Connie waved back with no idea how else to respond. She hunched her shoulders and walked faster.

 _I really hope the gems know how long this is going to last,_ she mentally grumbled.

The door swung open and Connie stepped into a silent Beach House full of activity. Lapis was sitting at the window seat, reading a manga. She waved at the girl and Connie was able to identify her saying, "Hi," though the specific nickname that followed was unclear.

Connie gave a meek wave in response.

With a flash, Jasper stepped off the warp pad and set down a trio of crates loaded to the brim with carrots, of all things. The warrior was splotched with rich, brown soil. She gave Connie an acknowledging nod before vanishing into the transportation beam once more.

 _I guess being deaf wouldn't make a huge difference interacting with Jasper,_ observed Connie, the tightness in her chest loosening fractionally.

A quartet of ersatz robonoids were busy unpacking one of the crates and clumsily heaping carrots out for Peridot to scan... for whatever reason. The technician looked up from her displays, startled, then tried and failed to smile casually. A beat later, she drew herself up straight and marched across the living room directly at Connie.

Lapis looked over her manga and said something but her lips were obscured. Peridot rolled her eyes and replied as she approached Connie. "... responsibility... for Connie," was all Connie could guess at.

Connie started to talk but Peridot gestured toward the porch and gave her a pleading look.

 _What is... Whatever, I guess it's as good a place to break the news as anywhere,_ she thought and followed the gem outside.

Peridot's body language radiated awkwardness and her eyes were apologetic. For some reason, several of her floating fingers had carrot bits caked on them. She started speaking. "Connie, I... you... perhaps I..." The Green gem's penchant for using large, technical words was doing Connie absolutely no favors right now as she was lost trying to parse what appeared to be something very hard for her guardian to discuss.

Connie gave up and tried to signal Peridot for silence. Peridot looked even more chagrined and, if anything, spoke faster.

"Ma'am? Ma'am. Peridot!" said Connie, accidentally shouting by the end… at least, she assumed.

Peridot jumped as if slapped. A flicker of motion at the periphery revealed Lapis peering at them through the window over the top of her manga.

Connie felt a flash of embarrassment but bulled forward. "Ma'am, I can't hear you," she said, gesturing to her ears.

Peridot quirked her head to the side, then got a look of recognition. Whatever she took from that sentence, it wasn't good. Visibly slumping, the technician muttered something Connie took to be, "I understand... give you your space."

Connie rolled her eyes. "No, ma'am, I can't hear you. Literally. I'm d... I'm deaf," she said, the word catching in her throat.

Peridot's eyes widened considerably and then she began to deliver questions to Connie so quickly Connie would probably have been unable to follow even if she had been able to hear. A cloud of holograms swarmed to life as Peridot configured one of her limbs into scanning mode.

Lapis gave up all pretense to the contrary and walked to the door so she could eavesdrop openly. Two flashes of light, the latter a few seconds after the former, signaled Jasper's return and subsequent departure.

One of the holograms flashed red and, judging from Lapis' wince, it had caused Peridot to shriek. The gem grabbed Connie by the shoulders, her face inches from Connie's, and she shouted in a voice Connie felt even as she couldn't hear it. "What happened?!"

* * *

If Connie hadn't been wearing her power sink, she'd be at the center of a lightning storm. She sat on the couch, arms crossed, scowling fiercely.

It had been a trying two hours.

First, Peridot had ran off into her room and returned with what looked like a Speak And Spell festooned with wires. After the eighth garbled translation --Peridot's question of "What did your gem do when the power activated?" became the text 'Wet didgeridoo wander back evaded?'-- Connie refused to interact with the thing further.

Peridot emerged again with what looked like two miniature wailing stones lashed to either side of an upside down colander. She placed the device on Connie's head, the wailing stones adjacent to her ears, and then the technician raised what looked like a miniature gem tower to her mouth. 

The resulting eruption of noise was palpable, with Connie falling off the couch in surprise and pain. Ripping the headwear off her scalp, she threw it across the room where it landed on the robonoid Robinson. When the miniature broadcast stick picked up the sound of Peridot's cry of alarm, it caused every panel on the bot to drop open as the screws and clasps were rattled loose. Robinson toppled drunkenly to its side, smoking, while Connie rubbed her temples; it turns out you can be deaf and have your ears ringing at the same time.

A third attempt had Peridot hauling a pair of old Nintendo Power Pads out from her workshop and wiring both to an antiquated news ticker. The nine remaining robonoids manned the pads, with each of the 24 colored circles representing a letter from A to X. Pressing multiple circles at once could apparently display the last of the alphabet, as well as spaces and punctuation.

Lapis spoke and the robonoids sprung to action in a curious display of dexterity and coordination. 'L: H-I C-O-N C-O-N. T-H-I-S L-O-O-K-S L-I-K-E R-O-B-O-T R-I-V-E-R-D-A-N-C-E!' appeared on the news ticker.

It looked like Peridot tsked at Lapis and then spoke next. 'P: H-A-S A P-H-Y-S-I-O-L-O-G-I-C-A-L T-R-A-N-S-F-E-R-E-N-C-E L-I-K-E T-H-I-S H-A-P-P-E-N-E-D B-E-F-O-R-E?'

"No. Well, I don't think so," hedged Connie. "There was the cleansing I gave Sadie and the Cool Kids at the quarry, and the forehead-to-forehead touch was the same, but that just transferred bad vibes or something." She sat there in thought for a moment longer while the robonoids unnecessarily transcribed her statement like a troupe of tap dancing stenographers.

"Actually, there was when dad, Steven, and I went back to check on the Nightmare Monster three weeks ago. I was all achy after I cleansed Steven and dad," said Connie, her voice sounding weird heard internally but not externally. "Do you think-"

Apparently Lapis and Peridot had both started talking at the same time Connie began her own question. 

'C: D-O Y-O-U T-H-I-N- L: H-E-Y D-O-T, R-E-M- P: ’

Chaos erupted on the Power Pads. Will facechecked Galatea who then rolled into Claptrap, thus leaving letters D through L unmanned. Johnny #5 (Peridot having finished rebuilding him after the visit to Rose's Garden, thus resetting his number) suffered a malfunction and began hammering the letter 'V' repeatedly. This prompted Doris to attempt to cover the letters for both bots, failing at least as often as succeeding. The whole thing devolved into a scrum when crumbs shook loose from Toasty and Wally sprinted across pads to clean them up.

‘#?#V-V-V C-_-T-R-_-N-_ V-V-V _-_-A-R-N-_-_ V-V-V-V T-O V-V H-_-A-L V-V-V B-O-_-Y V-V _-N V-V-V-V-V A-_-_-_-T-_-O-N V-V T-O :LJLHJGF%#VVVVVVV'

Jasper stepped forward, bundled the Power Pads (robonoids and all) up in her arms, opened the temple door to Peridot's room, and threw the whole squirming mass through the portal. The news ticker followed soon after with a crash, or so Connie imagined.

In silence, the large gem walked over to where the teaching supplies were kept and grabbed pads of paper as well as a fistful of pens. She handed one of each to Lapis, swatted Peridot upside the head with the pad before handing one of each to the technician, then kept a pair for herself as she sat down near Connie on the couch.

Jasper didn't roll her eyes but Connie could somehow feel the intent to do so radiating off the taciturn gem.

"So," asked Connie, "was mom able to, uh, transfer injuries to herself?"

The gems scribbled at their pads.

Jasper held up, 'Yes.' 

Lapis held up, 'Other gems? Yeah. Humans = ???' 

After two minutes and three pages of Peridot writing with no end in sight, Jasper shot Lapis a look. Lapis slid off her bar stool and walked over to where Peridot was writing studiously and cuffed the technician upside the head. Peridot said something, probably in protest, then rolled her eyes, and flipped to a new page.

Jasper gave Lapis a nod of appreciation. Lapis winked and shot a finger gun at Jasper before suddenly going wide-eyed. She slinked back to her bar stool looking... embarrassed? Ashamed? Connie wasn't always able to parse the mercurial shifts of mood Lapis was prone towards.

Her more concise answer finished, Peridot flipped around her pad, which read, 'Her hard light physiology was only able to receive ailments from other hard light subjects, and that was a learned power, not one she emerged with.'

Connie blinked. "Really? Did she talk about how she figured it out? Maybe I can find a way to undo this."

This prompted Lapis and Peridot to exchange worried looks. By the time Connie glanced over at Jasper, the Quartz had a splatter of ink on her hand up to her forearm and her pad of paper was pulped in her clenched fist.

Peridot said something that Connie wasn't able to catch. Lapis responded, then both turned as Jasper apparently said something. The conversation soon picked back up from there with everyone talking... just not to Connie. She tried lipreading but she was getting maybe one word in five and having to try and guess the rest from context and demeanor. It was both exhausting and frustrating. Twice Connie managed to shoehorn in a question or request for clarification but the pads quickly fell to the wayside and the gems returned to speaking around her.

And so it was, two hours after she'd first sat on the couch, that Connie was at the center of a silent storm, arms crossed and scowling fiercely. A discussion, possibly about her, was carried on around her as though she were just another part of the furniture. On top of it all, she swore she could hear water rushing through pipes.

"That's it!" she bellowed, rising to her feet. Three sets of eyes turned her way. "I'm going to take a nap because this whole day, really this whole _month_ , has been entirely too much! You three," and she pointed at each of the gems in turn, her glower intense, "figure something out so I don't overload my power sink and burn down the Beach House in an electrical fire."

With that she walked over to the loft stairs. Midway up, she paused and spat out, "At least you won't have to be quiet with me up there," before tromping up the rest of the way and burying herself in covers.

Water that wasn't there continued to rush through pipes that didn't exist making noise she shouldn't be able to hear. She fell asleep still scowling.

* * *

Someone caressed Connie's hair. She stirred to consciousness and wondered when it had started raining. Her eyes fluttered open and she could see clear, blue skies through her loft windows.

Rolling over she saw Steven raise his hand from her scalp, the boy looking a little sheepish. Lapis was literally hovering over his shoulder.

_Why isn't he wearing his hearing-_

A long, collective 'oooh' issued from every corner of Connie's mind as recent details trickled back in.

Lapis said something and Connie was too preoccupied to even attempt to lipread.

Steven's fingers flew into motion. "[Lapis says, 'We figured something out.']"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See you tomorrow for the Steven Epilogue.
> 
> * * *
> 
> If you have a Connie Swap story burning in your soul that you want to see in our official, curated Omake collection, drop us a comment either in the Omake fic or here in the main fic and we'll get in touch.
> 
> Connie Swap has an official Discord for the fans. [Come check it out.](https://discord.gg/RQMDdhr)
> 
> As usual, we'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments and your asks at the [Connie Swap Tumblr](http://connieswap.tumblr.com/). Thanks for reading!


	11. Steven Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're curious about the timeline for the events of _Loud and Clear_ (the epilogues included), you can see that at the top of this chapter [here](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12493772/chapters/29960853).

\--- May 28th---

"Mom? Dad?" called Steven from the door, his voice sounding strange in his ears... along with everything else, really. "You guys home?"

"We're just canoodling on the couch," muttered his dad in a low voice, followed by a soft laugh.

"Greg, one of these days he'll hear you and then he's going to be scarred for life," responded Mary in a hushed (if amused) tone. In a louder voice she said, "We're in the living room, honey."

As he entered his house, two things happened at once. The first was that his mind made the switch from 'Destiny Partner' to 'Steven'; several hours' worth of personal feelings that had been shelved to make room for Connie's concerns were taken out of storage.

The second was that he was staggered when a wave of music enveloped him. Music always played in the Universe Instrument Shop, School of Musical Instruction, Recording Studio, and family home. Always. He'd probably heard Kansas' _Carry On Wayward Son_ a hundred times, but this was like watching old black-and-white movies your whole life and then seeing Dorothy step into Oz.

_Once I rose above the noise and confusion_  
_Just to get a glimpse beyond the illusion_  
_I was soaring ever higher, but I flew too high_  
_Though my eyes could see I still was a blind man_  
_Though my mind could think I still was a mad man_  
_I hear the voices when I'm dreamin', I can hear them say_  
_Carry on my wayward son_  
_For there'll be peace when you are done_  
_Lay your weary head to rest_  
_Don't you cry no more_

Despite Steve Walsh's line about not crying, tears were bright on Steven's cheeks by the time he reached the living room and sat down. It was beautiful. It was intimidating. Part of him wanted the song to never end. Part of him wanted to turn off his hearing aids and hide under the covers of his bed.

When he could finally focus on his parents, he saw them looking at him with a mix of concern and confusion.

"Something up, Shtu-ball?" asked Dad, his expression open.

"Are you and Connie okay?" asked Mom, her expression protective.

He tried to speak but the words caught in his throat; the music had swelled once more, another wave striking him full on.

_And if I claim to be a wise man, it surely means that I don't know_  
_On a stormy sea of moving emotion_  
_Tossed about I'm like a ship on the ocean_

Steven nodded his head. Then he shook it. Then he signed 'yes' with one hand and 'no' with the other, something he'd been taught as a little boy to do when he was confused.

Somehow he'd gotten swept into his mom's embrace and found himself bawling into her blouse. 

Minutes later, the house, for the first time Steven could recall, was silent. He'd managed, clumsily, to convey the request and his dad had killed the music.

That helped.

Steven stepped clear of his mom's arms. He started to tell his parents about the picnic on Lighthouse Park.

During several of his parents' reactions he wished ears --actual ears, not hearing aids-- had volume controls.

* * *

Back on the hilltop, when he'd been reeling from his inner roller coaster ride, he'd promised himself that when he could, he'd go hide in his Blanket Fortress of Solitude until his insides could settle down. While petting Lion. Followed by a nap.

It turns out Lion's purr sounded about the same with typical hearing as with hearing aids. It was an anchor of normalcy in a loud ocean of change and so Steven clung to the kitty desperately.

This was, to Lion's opinion, the sort of reception he deserved. As Steven shifted under the covers, Lion batted at the motion and then rolled over so his tummy could be rubbed. Steven obliged.

 _Maybe I’m having a destiny overdose, like Connie,_ thought Steven as he waited for the promised nap to seize him. _But, like, it took three weeks for her because she’s used to it and it only took me one picnic._

He and Connie had spoken of her destiny many times: sometimes seriously, sometimes jokingly, sometimes anxiously. He'd always visualized it as the radioactive goo or stuff in the chemical vat that heroes and villains were so often splashed with in their origin stories.

Connie lived a destiny-rich life. He imagined her toothpaste glowing yellow with the substance as she brushed her teeth. He visualized miss Peridot spreading the stuff on Connie's sandwich while preparing her meal. Over the months his brain had come to associate the scent of Connie's shampoo with destiny.

Not that he'd gone out of his way to sniff her... too many times.

Now Steven had gotten some splashed on him. For better or for worse, he'd been changed. And not in the daytime television way of seeing the world differently or promising to seize the day. He could _hear_. The rest of the world wouldn't consider it a super power, but it sure felt like it to him.

And he owed that to Connie.

His feelings surrounding Connie were already complicated and he could _hear_ them growing even complicated-er.

His nap finally snuck up on him and for a time the world was quiet.

* * *

"Steven? Sweetie?"

Steven jolted into a kind of half wakefulness due to the noise, bleary-eyed and confused. He wiped the drool from his mouth and groped around his nightstand for his hearing aids, finding them missing.

Lion swatted him for the temerity of jostling his august and fluffy personage.

"Mom?" he answered, his brain too fuzzy to figure out why the world felt weird just then. He knew something was wrong because she was wearing her garden armor: old and durable clothes, boots, immense curls poking out of the back of a floral-pattern dew rag, with gloves flopping out of her back pocket. She put on her garden armor when she wanted to, 'get my hands dirty while I get my head on straight.'

"Lapis showed up a little while ago. Apparently Connie and the gems are having a hard time communicating given her... situation."

Steven's mind made an almost audible click as it switched gears back to 'Destiny Partner.' His eyes shot open and he bolted upright, a surge of worry burning off any vestiges of sleepiness.

The sudden and undignified movement beneath him caused Lion to hop down. The feline shot the boy an insulted look then marched out of the room in search of worthier places to nap.

His mom retrieved one of the gloves from her back pocket. "I told her she'd have to wait until you'd finished your nap but she said it was urgent. I..." She proceeded to wring the glove between strong, calloused hands. "...If you need more time for yourself, that's okay. You know that, right?"

Steven nodded even as he changed with haste out of his pajamas, his eyes and hands habitually searching for the hearing aids he no longer needed. "No, it's fine, mom. This is a big deal for Connie too. Bigger even. And, like, I'm pretty sure the gems don't understand sign language even though they have Star Trek translators in their brains or something and Connie and I were even using it to tell jokes in front of the gems and they never noticed, oh, but please don't tell that to Lapis, they weren't mean jokes but it was still rude and I don't want to get Connie in trouble with-"

"Steven!" his mom said, the interruption causing him to flinch with the volume. "Oh, sorry," she said in a quiet voice rich in contrition. "If you're sure..." and she gave him a chance to nod once more, "then I'll tell her you'll be downstairs shortly."

"Thanks mom," answered Steven, trying to think if there was anything he should bring with him. He pocketed an old pair of hearing aids and pulled a stack of his beginner ASL textbooks off a shelf just in case.

He paused, realizing one of the subtle ways his world had been out of alignment since he'd woken up. "Mom?" he asked just before she stepped out into the hallway.

She turned to look at him from the edge of his doorframe.

"You, uh, you can turn the music back on now. I-If you'd like, I mean. I think I can handle it now." Since he’d had a good cry, talk, and nap, the quiet house felt eerie, bordering on unsettling. "Just, uh, maybe keep it low, please."

She gave him a soft smile and a nod, then disappeared out of sight. While he struggled to pick a shirt despite having only, like, two different designs, he heard her walk down the stairs. As he pulled on his socks he could hear her and miss Lapis speaking indistinctly below. The strains of a Jack Johnson song filled the air, the volume mercifully low.

Finally ready, textbooks tucked under one arm, he took the stairs down two at a time and sped around the corner into the living room.

Both women looked up at him, miss Lapis saying, "Hey Pinkie. Is it true that you can you can hear me without the ear gear?"

Steven nodded, staring at Lapis' lips despite that not really being necessary anymore. Still, it helped because everything sounded new and weird and being able to focus on lipreading helped him from feeling so darn overwhelmed.

"And, you and Connie can talk by waggling your hands at each other like Jasper said?" she asked, her voice sounding slightly skeptical.

"Yup," he answered, simultaneously signing his agreement.

Miss Lapis pushed herself to her feet. "Then let's go. I think girlie will be a lot happier if you're the first person she sees when she wakes up from her sanity nap."

Steven shot his mom a slight smile, earning a nod of approval even if the worry never left her eyes. Turning back to Lapis, he said, "I'll get my bike."

Wings of water sprung up from Lapis' back as she walked toward the door. "Don't bother. I can drive."

* * *

"How long is this going to last?" asked Connie.

She sat next to Steven on the couch, her hair still a little frizzy from her nap. Her hand had sought his out when they'd first gotten situated and it was only with the greatest of dedication to his role as official interpreter that he broke the grip.

"Tell her that the answer is unknown at this time," said Peridot. "Her mother could transfer physical and emotional trauma from a hard light body to herself, but our forms recover from physical damage comparatively swiftly."

She kept one of her limbs outstretched as Steven conveyed the message, scanning his hand motions. She had the look of someone at a magic show trying to spot the wires.

"So this could be permanent?" asked Connie, her voice trembling slightly. She shot Steven a look that was equal parts worried and apologetic but he tried his best to convey, _'I understand this is scary for you and I don't feel offended because this is pretty freaky for everyone'_ with his eyes.

Peridot's shoulders hung a little lower. "Tell her that we really have no way of knowing. Yet," she was quick to add. "The dose of fountain water she imbibed did nothing, so that lends further evidence to this being a, erm, organic ailment, regardless of the means of conveyance. However, given a longer period of time to study changes and marshal resources-"

"We'll fix you," said Jasper, cutting Peridot off. The large warrior frowned, then looked at Steven. "Tell her we'll fix her."

Steven bristled at her choice of words. "Actually Jasper, y-" started Steven's effort to correct the warrior. This stopped the moment he met her eyes.

Jasper's expressions were usually pretty hard to read. She was an unstoppable warrior monk who lived mainly for battle, so her view of the world and Steven's were pretty different, he suspected. Here, now... not hard to read. Not at all.

Steven swallowed as he signed to Connie.

"Peridot, do you think you could make some hearing aids for me? Steven brought an old pair for you to tinker with," explained Connie before adding in a firm tone, "Oh, and absolutely no wailing stones."

Miss Peridot nodded. "Please convey to Connie that doing so is my top priority beyond monitoring her condition. I will endeavor to wed functionality and comfort with all haste, though with special attention paid to ensuring, uh, their proper calibration," and she looked a little embarrassed for some reason.

Steven didn't know what a wailing stone was but Connie seemed satisfied with his attempt at signing it to her. 

After that he signed something extra to her, prompting her to nod in agreement. He turned to face the gems but as he spoke he signed too so that Connie would be able to follow along... at least, follow along as well as was possible given his less-than-perfect sim-com skills. "By the way, I can show you guys how to use sign language, if you want. I don't know if I'm a really good teacher or not, but Connie learned it and you guys all have super magic language powers to help. Oh, and I brought my old books in case those make it any easier," he said, pausing his signing to gesture at the pile stacked on the couch beside him.

Jasper glared at him, but he couldn't tell if it was appraising or intimidating. Both, maybe?

Miss Peridot spared a glance at the large Quartz and then cleared her throat. "Actually, I suspect our innate capacity for translation will be more of a hindrance than a boon in this specific circumstance. We've struck upon a hitherto unknown edge case which-"

Lapis had been snacking as quietly as one can on carrots through most of the conversation. Steven suspected she was a stress eater like he could be sometimes. The Blue gem interrupted, intruding on the discussion for the first time since he’d arrived, casually flicking the stub of her carrot into the trash as she said, "I'm gonna cut you off there, Peri, since, universal translator or no, you don't really speak the language like I do."

Peridot bristled slightly at the statement but made no move to object.

Lapis gave her a little nod and then turned to face Steven. "Connie showed me this game on her phone once where you had to get this runner across a track but you were controlling the muscles of their legs instead of just, ya know, moving forward."

Steven conveyed Lapis' statement to Connie then thought for a second. "Oh, you mean QWOP? Because that thing is super hard. One time Peedee managed to make it forty-five meters in, like, three minutes and that's waaay better than anything Jeff or I have managed."

He turned to Connie and signed, "[Best Q-W-O-P time?]" Her grimace was all the answer he needed.

"Right, that one," continued Lapis. "Well, for us, every language, written or spoken, is like walking. We don't think about it, it just happens. I remember when Connie was learning French. She had to study and practice and read all this stuff and it was so weird because, vous pensez juste le français et vous le parlez."

Steven had to sign, "[Something in French,]" at the end but Connie rolled with it.

"Humans have all these things that make learning a language possible because they need it, they don’t get to cheat like we do. We don't have anything like that because why would we?"

Steven considered this. "So you guys learning sign language is like trying to learn to run in QWOP?"

"If only," said Lapis with a sad smile. "It's more like trying to perform ballet in QWOP wearing rollerskates. You might be a great teacher, Pinkie. The best, even. But OJ, Dot, and me? We're the worst students possible. Literally inhumanly terrible. We're going to try; heck, P is already trying," and the pair looked over to see miss Peridot studying floating diagrams of his finger motions, "but I think it's going to be a long, looong time before we know more than how to flip off our stupid gemstones."

Steven passed all of this along, Connie watching his motions intently. At the end she gave a sad nod as though that confirmed a suspicion of her own. He, and subsequently Connie, were interrupted when a growl of frustration cut across the room from Peridot. Judging from the hologramatic display, she'd tried to test Lapis’ metaphor directly and had made it all of .8 meters as her virtual runner writhed on the track in an uncoordinated heap.

Connie thought of something, catching everyone’s attention. "Does this mean I could fix a cracked gem?" she asked a little louder than she needed to, poking her gemstone curiously.

“Once. Maybe,” answered Jasper. It was an easy message for Steven to translate.

Connie’s eyes went wide and she paled as she thought it through.

“I have one last question,” announced the girl. “What’s up with the carrots?”

Lapis and Jasper turned to face Peridot, who shrunk slightly in on herself. “Can you tell her, um, that this may be a conversation best reserved for Crystal Gems only?” asked the Green gem.

Steven was taken aback but did as requested, inwardly burning with curiosity about how carrots, of all things, could be a members-only subject.

Connie folded her arms and shook her head. “Nuh-uh. If all of this,” and she gestured toward her ears, “really is going to be an issue as long as we suspect it is then I think we’re going to be seeing a lot more of Steven around here.” She paused, turning to look at Steven, her expression suddenly apologetic. “Oh, sorry, I mean, if that’s okay with you, of course.”

Steven’s nod needed no translation.

Turning back to the others, Connie continued. “Besides, I just spent most of the day telling him about how hard and stressful and lousy these last three weeks have been, and they’ve been that way in part because he wasn’t around to help me cope with it all.” 

Steven was feeling a little flushed and bashful as Connie spoke, but that moment, when all three of the gems stared at him, it was all he could do not to find someplace to hide.

Connie barreled on, addressing Peridot. “Steven may not be a gem but he’s still really important. So whatever you have to say to me, you can say to him, ma’am. Plus, I don’t want another translation debacle like before.”

Jasper looked from Steven to Connie and back to Steven with an inscrutable expression. Lapis had a very slight smile. Peridot was wringing her hand-equivalents. 

Eventually the Green gem responded. “I-Inform her that I have been supplementing her diet with carrots and other foods rich in beta-carotene for how they promote improvements in visual acuity among hominids. In light of our recent, erm, discussion about the… unfortunate undertones my visual prescriptivism carried with it, I thought it best to set the staple aside and find a less historied foodstuff to replace it. Jasper has been removing them from the garden and I’ve been making a final series of scans so I can fine-tune my nutritional optimization algorithm for finding alternatives.”

Thinking back on it, Steven couldn’t think of a single visit to Connie’s house that hadn’t featured carrots. Well, except when miss Peridot had been poofed and Jasper pretty much fed them nothing but pizza for a week. Even that time he and Connie told stories by the fire and drank hot cocoa, they’d had carrot sticks to snack on.

Connie scowled and opened her mouth to speak but Steven reached out and touched her shoulder to get her attention. She paused and looked his way.

“[I think you and Peridot are both hurt from the whole eyes thing,]” signed the boy. “[She’s trying apologize in her robo-mom way, you know.]”

Connie gave him a long look then decided to sign back to keep their side conversation between just the two of them. “[Steven, she was the one gem I thought I could always trust and I found out she’d been gaslighting me for years! How do I just forgive that?”]

Steven reached up to fiddle with a hearing aid, something he did when he was pausing for thought. He looked a little surprised when he ended up poking himself in the ear instead. Giving an embarrassed smile, he shook his head and signed, “[It wasn’t mean, it was a miscommunication. I think what you heard after getting back from Rose’s garden was, ‘I want you to be like your mother,’ or maybe, ‘Your mother was better than you.’]”

The girl’s lips pressed into a tight line but she allowed him to continue making his point without interrupting. The gems were looking on at the two baffled; Peridot in particular was visibly anxious.

Steven bit his lower lip trying to will himself to be smart enough to say this right. Being Connie’s Destiny Partner and Light Side coach was serious and he worried sometimes if he was up to the task. That he was here as Crystal Gem business was happening just made it all the more important that he not mess it up. Connie may be the smartest person he knew, but she wasn’t always people-smart. “[What Peridot was actually trying to say was, ‘I want you to be the best you can be.’ My mom makes me eat vegetables all the time so I’ll grow up strong. She’s not trying to plan my future and I don’t think Peridot was too. Uh, your future, I mean. Not mine.]”

Connie turned and gave Peridot a searching look. A moment later the tension in her shoulders dropped and the hard line of her lips became a small smile. Without looking away, she reached over and gave Steven’s hand a squeeze, then she got up and walked over toward Peridot.

“Steven’s saying that you didn’t mean to make me feel self-conscious all those years and that you’re sorry about how much it hurt me. He’s right… right?”

Peridot nodded, eyes watering behind her glasses.

Connie spread her arms and wrapped Peridot into a hug, the gem clutching the girl tightly and radiating emotional relief at the reconciliation.

Jasper and Lapis stared at the pair hugging and then at Steven. Lapis gave a small smile and shot him a thumbs up. Jasper stared at Steven well past the point of comfort, then got up and walked over toward the temple door. It opened on Connie’s mom’s room. The large gem shot Steven one last look over her shoulder before the door magicked shut behind her.

Lapis stepped around the two who were hugging it out and walked over to Steven. “I think that’s all the important stuff covered for today. If anyone tries to bring up something heavy, I’ll splash ‘em in the face.”

Steven chuckled. “Sounds like a plan.”

“I don’t think your mom cared for me hauling you off when I did, so let’s get you on back, Pinkie.”

“Oh, yeah. I mean, it’s fine but it’s been kind of a weird day for, um, everyone,” answered the boy.

Lapis smirked. “Comes with the territory, I’m afraid. Something to keep in mind for the future. That and looking both ways before crossing the Quartz,” she said, jabbing a thumb in the direction Jasper had gone.

Steven blinked. “Uh, I don’t think I follow.”

Lapis shook her head, “Eh, neither did Doug and he managed to survive. Somehow. Anyway, say goodbye, Stevie. I’ll fly ya back when you’re done.”

He still didn’t understand but he didn’t press the issue. Instead, he said his farewells, Peridot grinning widely towards him and Connie pulling him into a tight hug. Both of them stepped back a second later, cheeks flushed and suddenly unsure where to look or put their hands.

Lapis led him outside and flew him home, which was only a little less scary and amazing the second time.

* * *

That night when Steven was supposed to be getting into bed --his tummy full from the hearty dinner his parents had served him because that was one of the ways they showed him they cared-- he was instead wide awake, sitting on the edge of his mattress, afraid to move.

He’d almost gone to sleep but a brief text exchange with Connie had made that impossible. Not because of anything she’d said --he was going to meet her for breakfast tomorrow and she would be joining his family for dinner that night-- but because his text alert was a little ukulele riff. 

He’d always thought his trouble with music had been because of his hearing; it had been the reason he’d told Connie, the world, and himself for why he could grasp the theory behind music but never seem to do well actually playing it. So… what was stopping him now?

Rather than face his fear head-on, Steven procrastinated. First he listened to the Tubetube video of the ukulele song he knew best: [Jake Shimabukuro’s ukulele cover](https://youtu.be/puSkP3uym5k?t=39) of _While My Guitar Gently Weeps_. Then he listened to it a couple more times, including a couple of related videos.

Before his family had moved to Beach City he’d decided he was going to learn that song. He'd gotten pumped up, found sheet music, and tried evening after evening to make his instrument sound anything like Mr. Shimabukuro's. His parents had been supportive, Neimaat had said it was great when he’d worked up the courage to send her a clip of him playing it, but there was a part of him that never really believed it was good.

By the time they’d moved to Beach City he’d lost his momentum and gotten soured on the whole thing. Despite her inviting him to, he’d never played it (or anything else) for Connie.

A glance at the clock showed it was late; he’d been delaying for more than an hour. With a heavy breath, Steven got up and crossed his room, his ukulele weighing a hundred pounds when he picked it up.

He sat on the edge of his mattress and plucked a string. By the time the note faded, a part of him wanted to just hide under his bed like Lion did after getting a bath.

He strummed a chord, his heart beating in his chest, his mouth suddenly dry. Screwing his eyes shut like a man before a firing squad, he started to play, muscle memory taking over.

It was… okay. Not great. Really not great. It reminded him a lot of when Buck had started taking guitar lessons, actually.

Part of him was disappointed. He'd gotten magical hearing but it hadn't instantly made him the musician he'd always wanted to be. Instead, he'd learned... that he kinda stinked but that was probably because he needed to practice more.

He was pretty sure Neimaat and his parents had said as much, minus the stinking part. Man, no wonder Connie trained so hard: apparently magic didn't solve _anything_ despite being, well, magic.

Steven took a deep breath, his shoulders feeling strangely light, like he'd been wearing a super heavy backpack until a minute ago. He could live with this. Suddenly exhausted, he set his ukulele down gingerly --the instrument far less heavy than it had been before-- and crawled into bed. He was asleep almost immediately.

* * *

That night Steven dreamt of roller coasters. Connie and he were riding one together. It was loud and scary, there were turns they didn’t expect and tunnels where they couldn’t see the way forward, and dream-Steven thought he was gonna puke a couple of times.

But dream-Connie was holding his hand the whole ride and somehow that made it okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> QWOP can be played [here](http://www.foddy.net/Athletics.html). See if you can beat Peridot's score by succeeding at even a single step.
> 
> Part of Steven's advice to Connie in reconciling her and Peridot came from a Discord exchange during a live reviewing of _Do Not Bob To Nod_ between  The Doomkitten and CaptainJZH. Well said, y'all, and thanks for helping Steven be a little more eloquent.
> 
> For any wondering, [sim-com](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simultaneous_communication) is short for 'simultaneous communication' and is when someone speaks and signs concurrently.
> 
> And so ends Connie Swap for 2017. We wanted to finish with something big and _Loud and Clear_ was that; a kind of collection of plot- and character-significant stuff happening one after another like a fireworks finale to mark the end of the year. We sincerely hope you enjoyed the episode and the story of Connie Swap thus far. We’ll be picking back up the Wednesday after next, so tune in on January 10th for the first chapter of **Episode 17: Steven's Picnic Delivery Service**.
>
>>   
>   
>  There's been too much crazy magical destiny business going on lately and Connie needs a break. Steven hopes to give her that with a nice, quiet day without magical shenanigans, starting with a picnic. What could go wrong?
> 
> Happy New Year, everyone!
> 
> * * *
> 
> If you have a Connie Swap story burning in your soul that you want to see in our official, curated Omake collection, drop us a comment either in the Omake fic or here in the main fic and we'll get in touch.
> 
> Connie Swap has an official Discord for the fans. [Come check it out.](https://discord.gg/RQMDdhr)
> 
> As usual, we'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments and your asks at the [Connie Swap Tumblr](http://connieswap.tumblr.com/). Thanks for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> Keeping track of all the updates to Connie Swap can get a little difficult, can't it? It doesn't have to be! If you go to the [Connie Swap Series](http://archiveofourown.org/series/630527) page and click the " **Subscribe** " button then you will receive an email alert every time a new episode is posted or a new chapter is added to _ANY_ fic in Connie Swap.
> 
> One button. All the updates.


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